With the increasing consumer demand for food grown without toxic chemicals, has come an increasing number of products making claims such as “chemical free”, “spray free”, “natural”, or “organic”. These claims are made without a verifiable chain of information to substantiate the claim, or provide any evidence that it is true. On many occasions, these claims could be described as “Greenwash” or “misleading”.
Health minded consumers want to know to where their food comes from, how it is produced, and truth in labelling.
HOW DID IT BEGIN?
The Certified Organic system of verification evolved from organic growers wanting to address the issues of authenticity and misinformation.
WHAT DOES CERTIFIED ORGANIC MEAN?
An excellent description of what Certified Organic means, comes from a communication from the National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia:
Certified Organic means that under the Australian Consumer and Competition Act, the product must be independently audited and verified by a third-party certifier accredited by the Department of Agriculture. Fresh food and products must comply with strict organic standards.
WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED?
Certified Organic products do not contain :
. GMOs – organic standards prohibit there use
. Hormonal growth promotants or synthetic additives
. Chemical herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides
. Synthetic NPK type soluble fertilisers.
CARING FOR THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Certified Organic production is also required to consider social justice and animal welfare issues, and the revegetation of the land to ensure long term sustainability.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Certified Organic products carry a certification logo and certification number. This is your assurance that there is a third-party certification of the integrity of every step of the production process, from paddock to plate.