Natural Selection

You’ve probably already asked yourself if organic food is really worth paying extra money for. Holly Davis has the lowdown.

Organic. What does it really mean? Am I getting better value for money spending so much more on organic foods or is this just another new-age trend? What should I be concerned about and what not?

These questions dog many consumers. In the interests of fairness, I must first confess to being an ‘organophile’, having been an advocate for the Australian Organic and Biodynamic food industry for more than 20 years.

That said, it’s my belief that what people spend their money on comes down to personal priorities. These days there is an organic option for just about everything. And while some consumers are committed to using organic products exclusively, many others, including myself, select items that make the greatest contribution to our health and sustainable farming without breaking our budgets.

I’m delighted that organics’ time has seemingly come, though the reason for this is a little sad: the movement has been propelled forward by worldwide concern over safe food practices, the possible long-term effects of genetic engineering and incidents such as the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in Britain. Australia’s organic sector is currently its fastest growing food category, at 30 per cent per annum.
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Clearing the air – and soil

So what is organic food, and how can you be sure that you’ve bought the real deal? Simply put, organic farming involves eliminating the use of synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides and herbicides from every element of production and supply. The only Australian legislation in force is regulated by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) under the National Organic Standard. This means that all organic food production and processing is governed by a set of internationally recognised rules for exporters.

As there is no domestic legislation for the production of organic foods, growers and producers committed to providing quality assurance volunteer to pay one of seven independent certifying bodies. Their farms, and all aspects of their production and supply, are inspected and monitored each year. Once the strict standards of the certifier have been met, producers are permitted to label their products as being ‘certified organic’ with a certification number. The label and number are your guarantees that the product meets the strict guidelines. A certified organic product must contain at least 95 per cent organic ingredients. There are substantial fines, and even jail terms, for fraudulent claims. If you are unsure about a product’s status, ask for its certification number; suppliers are usually more than happy to assist.
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