Issue 03
Spring 2020
Awareness Month 2020
Celebrating the Certified Organic industry this September with Australian Organic Awareness Month.
See page 4
Why Certify? Australian Organic’s Chief Technical Officer takes us through some of the benefits of organic certification.
See page 22
The Importance of Farm Safety
New University Course in Organics
We speak to Alex Thomas about raising awareness of safety on our farms.
Dr Liza Oates introduces a first-of-its-kind course in organics at Southern Cross Unversity.
See page 32
See page 25
Contents Welcome to Australian Organic Awareness Month
Page 4
Australian Organic Chairman Update
Page 6
Meet Our Awareness Month Ambassador Lincoln Lewis
Page 10
AOAM Campaign Success by Niki Ford
Page 16
Meet Paul Turner, Woolworths General Manager of Fruit & Vegetables
Page 18
Why Certify with Owen Gwilliam
Page 22
New University Course in Organics
Page 25
Why We Aren’t Running Out of Food Anytime Soon
Page 30
The Importance of Farm Safety with Alex Thomas
Page 32
Recipe: Jamu, Warming Winter Tonic
Page 38
Operation: Eat Good Fats
Page 40
Cover: Fordsdale Organic Farm
austorganic.com Australian Organic Ltd (AOL) 18 Eton Street, Nundah Qld, 4012 Tel: 07 3350 5716
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A NOTE FROM THE CEO
Contributors
Welcome to the Spring Issue of Organic Connect
harriet.kendrick@austorganic.com
It’s Spring already; how quickly the year has flown given the challenging environment we have all had to work within. Despite all the change and the refreshed approach to our new normal, I am reminded daily how fortunate our lives are within the organic community. With COVID-19 sweeping the globe, our industry has prospered and in fact grown. We know that two thirds of all consumers purchase organic products, so it’s no surprise that while within the greatest health crisis of modern times, organic consumption and demand has grown in some cases more than 40% on last year’s forecasts.
CONTRIBUTORS
The Spring edition celebrates all certified organic products, highlighted through our integrated marketing campaign across Woolworths, Coles, ALDI, independent supermarket groups, health food stores and online. We welcome our first international sponsor, Higher Living, a UK tea brand, and welcome back our inaugural sponsors including Cleaver’s, Angove Family Winemakers and Bertolli. This year’s Australian Organic Awareness Month (AOAM) ambassador Lincoln Lewis will put forward the questions consumers have been meaning to ask on his journey to learn more about certified organic and the importance of looking for certification marks. Dr Liza Oates joins us again to talk about a new University course dedicated to organic education; we talk to Alex Thomas about the importance of farm safety; Owen Gwilliam educates us on how to become certified organic; and Dr Sarah Lantz talks about the importance of good fats. Enjoy the read, enjoy Spring, and don’t forget to pick up your favourite certified organic brand this month so we can celebrate together.
Niki Ford CEO, Australian Organic Ltd
EDITOR HARRIET KENDRICK
PUBLISHER AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC LTD (AOL)
NIKI FORD MARTIN MEEK HARRIET KENDRICK DR LIZA OATES OWEN GWILLIAM DR SARAH LANTZ
For Australian Organic Ltd membership or advertising, please contact Shari Burke on the details below. MEMBERSHIP & ADVERTISING SHARI BURKE
shari.burke@austorganic.com Tel: 07 3350 5716
Australian Organic Limited (AOL) is the leading peak industry body representing Australian organic certifiers and certified operators. AOL is a not for profit member owned organisation that advocates on behalf of the certified organic industry by working with government and driving awareness. Established in 1987 and formerly Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA), AOL has been the major force in ensuring organic standards remain robust and are in line with global export markets. AOL is the owner of Australia’s most recognised certification logo, The Bud. This logo is now recognised by more than 50% of shoppers and appears on nearly 33,000 products both domestically and internationally.
Welcome to Australian Organic Awareness Month CELEBRATING THE CERTIFIED ORGANIC INDUSTRY THIS SEPTEMBER
Australian Organic Awareness Month (or AOAM for short) is the nation’s largest campaign promoting the certified organic industry in Australia. This September, AOAM is all about raising awareness of certified organic products, brands and businesses whilst educating consumers about the importance of looking for certified organic logos on their organic purchases. Currently, there is no domestic regulation surrounding the term ‘organic’ in Australia, meaning that some products labelled ‘organic’ may not be what they say they are. Australian Organic’s number one priority for 2020 is achieving mandatory organic domestic regulation to protect consumers and prevent misleading organics from reaching the shelves. Until then, it’s important for consumers to understand how to look for certification marks on organic product labels - just like the Australian Organic owned ‘Bud’ logo - to know that you are buying an authentic organic product. The Australian Organic market is now worth an estimated $2.6 billion and is growing year on year. By helping to promote the certified organic industry, you are also supporting the farmers, processers, manufacturers and retailers who work hard behind the scenes to meet these rigorous standards and provide the best quality certified organic produce.
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Organic vs. Certified Organic - What’s the difference? The term ‘certified organic’ means the farm, product or service, has been independently, third party verified by a certification body. This means that every part of the supply chain has been through rigorous testing and adheres to a strict standard, such as the Australian Certified Organic Standard (ACOS) or National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce (NS). In a recent consumer survey conducted by Australian Organic, 80% of organic shoppers said they look for a certification mark on organic products. 61% said they would not purchase an organic product if it was not certified – proving that consumers are becoming savvier when it comes to buying organic.1 In the same survey, a staggering 96% said that they felt that it was important for organic products to adhere to a strict set of standards through certification. Whilst a concerning 61% of consumers surveyed said they had previously purchased products that claimed to be organic, only to find that they were not what they expected after purchasing.1
Choosing products labelled ‘certified organic’ gives consumers peace of mind that they are buying real, honest organic products and supporting certified organic producers.
Why choose Certified Organic products? • • • •
Sustainable and Regenerative Harmful Synthetic Chemical Free Free Range and Not Tested on Animals All GMOs are Prohibited
How can I get involved?
Simply look for the Awareness Month logo in-store and online. Australian Organic Awareness Month ambassador, healthy living advocate and beloved Aussie actor Lincoln Lewis will be helping to spread the organic word this September. Look out for Lincoln on TV and online, and make sure you’re following him on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. To learn more about how you can benefit from an organic lifestyle including tips, recipes, FAQs and exclusive special offers, visit: www.whyorganic.com.au Australian Organic Ltd. (2020). Fake Organics - Are you getting fooled at the register? Domestic Regulation Consumer Survey (SurveyMonkey online survey 31.03.2020) 1
This year, Australian Organic Awareness Month is being celebrated for the whole month of September and is sponsored by a range of incredible certified organic brands and retailers – from major supermarkets and wholesalers, to independent retailers and stores.
Australian Organic Ltd. (2019). Australian Organic Market Report 2019. Australian Organic Ltd, Nundah, QLD, Australia www.austorganic.com 2
WITH THANKS TO OUR 2020 SPONSORS
AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC CONNECT
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From our Chairman
BY MARTIN MEEK Martin is Chairman of Australian Organic Ltd. He joined the Flannery franchise group of stores with Mal Flannery in 1993 and was Managing Director and equal Partner until 2008. He also created Daintree Organics and holds a stake in United Organics, a certified organic fresh produce wholesaler based at the Brisbane Markets.
ORGANIC UPDATE FOR AWARENESS MONTH THIS SEPTEMBER I have been involved in the organic Industry since 1993, and an awful lot has changed in the last 27 years; the scale, the scope and the market penetration being the most notable.
The term “Organic” is not currently regulated in Australia, though there is a submission in front of Government to change that and bring Australia in line with the rest of the world.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the passion and the dedication of the people and the businesses growing and creating our organic products. You can’t survive in this business without a strong belief and a connection to the organic cause. I have seen it many times during my career; businesses and individuals who see organics as just a commercial opportunity inevitably fail.
Due to this lack of regulation it’s important that organic consumers look for a certification mark. This gives you assurances that the product you are buying has been third party audited and is compliant to the National Organic Standard. It also lets you know that you are dealing with ethical, committed companies who are invested in and dedicated to the organic movement.
Organics is hard. Without an emotional and ethical attachment to the movement, without a strong personal belief that what you are doing is right, not only for yourself, but for your workers, the consumers and the planet, then it becomes very hard to stay committed and to stay the course.
There are a lot of benefits to buying organic products and those of us in the industry often take for granted the knowledge and the information we possess. The main goal of Australian Organic Awareness Month is to share this knowledge with the consumer and to also promote the benefits of supporting the Australian certified organic industry.
Corporations may think that “organic culture” is intangible but know that the modern organic consumer is very intuitive and very informed. Any lack of authenticity will be exposed and will absolutely be tangible when it comes to the bottom line. Please know that all of us at Australian Organic have drunk the ‘Kool Aid’ (persons younger than 40 are going to have to Google that reference). Every member of our team is personally and ethically committed to the organic cause. All our members are business owners who pay to be third party audited and who pay to use Australia’s most recognised certified organic logo; the ‘Bud’.
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So, please take the time to read our articles and posts and, if you like them, share them. You will discover things like certified organic ingredients are GMO free, that livestock are free range and pasture fed, that organic produce is sustainable and free from harmful artificial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Welcome to Australian Organic Awareness Month! We are happy that you are part of our journey and part of the change to a better future.
AUSTRALIA’S CERTIFIED ORGANIC 1– 30TH SEPTEMBER ALWAYS LOOK FOR A CERTIFICATION MARK
WHY CERTIFIED ORGANIC? ✓ SUSTAINABLE AND REGENERATIVE ✓ HARMFUL SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL FREE ✓ FREE RANGE AND NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS ✓ ALL GMOs ARE PROHIBITED
TO FIND OUT MORE , VISIT WHYORGANIC.COM.AU #WHYORGANIC #CHOOSEORGANIC #AOAM2020
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We’ve launched with seven great pre-configured boxes so you can have the meal plan sorted at your place. You can cook all of your favourites, but if you’d like some meal inspiration we’ve got a recipe suggestion for everything in each box. We also put the recipe cards in the box for you, just to make it easier when it's time to cook.
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SHOP
Lincoln Lewis
MEET OUR AWARENESS MONTH AMBASSADOR
Popular Australian actor Lincoln Lewis is today a picture of health, but that wasn’t always the case. The star of House Husbands, Home and Away and Underbelly went through a period of depression in 2018 which led him to comfort eating and a dramatic weight gain.
“The COVID-19 restrictions this year have actually given me a chance to focus more on myself, count my blessings, slow down and decompress. I even took up a new hobby of bee-keeping which has been really rewarding. Becoming an ambassador for Australian Organic and all the industry stands for has just been -the icing on the cake.”
However, last year, determined to get back on track, he began a concerted health kick by totally overhauling his diet and fitness regime. That renewed plan included incorporating more wholesome organic food into his daily eating. “I used to absolutely hate vegetables growing up, but now I eat lots of organic vegies every day and other organic products,” he explained. “I feel it’s helped turn my life around and I love knowing that I’m eating such clean produce. I also always look for the Bud logo to make sure a product is certified organic because choosing sustainably produced items is really important to me as I’m a big supporter of the environment. “I now eat less carbs, more vegetables and more protein. I’m feeling really energized and on top of things physically and mentally.” As a passionate advocate for organic products, the 32-year-old has enthusiastically embarked on his role as 2020 Australian Organic ambassador. Lincoln recently visited organic farms and producers across his home state of Queensland to learn more about the organic journey and the incredible work producers are doing whilst filming videos for Australian Organic. The actor said that visiting the producers has been one of the highlights of his year given that many acting productions have been in hiatus. “The passion organic producers have and the quality of certified organic products that are now available is just phenomenal and has really impressed me,” he said. Lincoln will now be spreading the word about the importance of consumers always looking out for organic certification marks on organic products during Australian Organic Awareness Month, before hitting the acting trail again.
We asked Lincoln to tell us more about what he’s learnt on his organic journey so far. What did you learn from Quentin Kennedy, Managing Director at Kialla Pure Foods, about their certified organic grain and flour milling operation? After speaking with Quentin and hearing his passion combined with his personal reasons for wanting to eat, live and produce organic foods, I was actually left pretty speechless. His want for every consumer to enjoy the same healthy organic foods that his own family does is the driving force behind that passion and I find that so admirable. You also heard about organic grain milling and some of the challenges Kialla has faced over recent years, did anything surprise you? Learning about all the challenges of an organic operation combined with the difficulties every farm and producer goes through such as the drought. That was a big eye opener as it adds another layer of complexity to everything. I think that makes me appreciate all the hurdles they’ve had to jump over to ensure what they produce and what we are eating is as natural and healthy as it can possibly be. At Cleaver’s Organic Meats you spoke to Marketing Manager Paul Da Silva and had a go at cooking up some organic hotdogs in their iconic hotdog van. What was that like? It was a lot of fun and the hotdogs were delicious! I loved hearing Paul talk about “taking things back old school” – speaking about how things were 100 years ago, when organic was just the norm, but nowadays things are being relabeled as “organic”. Story continues on the next page...
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“The passion organic producers have and the quality of certified organic products that are now available is just phenomenal.� - Lincoln Lewis
Lincoln with Quentin Kennedy at Kialla Pure Foods
Lincoln speaking to Adrian Tiller at Sherwood Road Organic Meats
It’s also reassuring to be able to trace the food you’re eating back to the farm where it was produced. I think as a consumer that’s a big comfort. What most surprised you about the differences in certified organic meat versus conventional meat? The main thing was learning about how much effort goes in to ensuring a high standard so they can say their meat is certified organic. We are so lucky that we can easily access such products. You also met with Paul Brooking at Fordsdale Organic Farms, which produces organic fruit and vegetables. What did you learn about the different methods used in certified organic farming, particularly in horticulture? One thing gave me an even greater sense of appreciation for the produce was that organic farming doesn’t use synthetic pesticides and much more time and effort is spent weeding the crops by hand. It was also really interesting to hear Paul talk about seasonal crop rotation to ensure the soil has time to regenerate to ensure longevity in the land. We’ve become so to accustomed to the processes of mass produced food but sustainable farming truly is the only way to go.
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When you visited independent retailer Market Organics and spoke to General Manager Mike Shanley were you surprised to see such a range of certified organic products on offer? Yes - I really was blown away by how many companies have taken the organic path. It’s great to know that the consumer is being listened to and these brands are leading the way for a healthier and more sustainable future. From the fruit and vegie section, to all different kinds of packaged foods, drinks and supplements, to cosmetics and even organic wine and pet food, I was really blown away by the massive range. It made me really happy seeing that. Speaking to Amy and Adrian Tiller at Sherwood Road Organic Meats, who sell organic meat from their family farm, what did they tell you about their background and passion for what they do? Firstly, I learnt how Adrian is a fourth generation livestock farmer and how happy he was to go organic as he’s now producing meat the same way his family did before him - just with more modern techniques. Being able to trace the food on your plate back to the farm where it was produced gives me, as a consumer, a lot of confidence. The environment and animal welfare is very important to me, so knowing the
meat is all free range and grass fed puts these guys at the head of the pack when it comes to ethical production.
And secondly, WHY these producers and companies have made the switch to organic and sustainable practices.
As you spend a lot of times outdoors in the Queensland sun, what do you think the benefits are of using certified organic products on your skin such as the ones available at Conscious Kin, which stocks certified organic beauty brands?
The people behind the brands and companies all have very personal stories and motivations as to why organic is important to them. I also loved how every single one of them said to me, “I noticed the change when I started eating organic produce and so did my family. That’s all the proof we need when it comes to organics.”
When applying products to your skin you’ve got to think of the long-term benefits or damage you could be doing. I’ve got sensitive skin when it comes to synthetic chemicals, so I can see a real difference when I use only natural or certified organic skin products. No one likes bad skin, particularly an actor! At Coles and Woolworths, were you surprised by the variety in their different certified organic ranges?
Finally, what should consumers be aware of when buying organic products? Many companies claim their products are organic when they haven’t been officially certified. People always need to look for organic certification marks such as the Bud logo on the labels. That way you know strict standards have been met and you can be assured what you’re consuming or using is of the highest possible standard when it comes to organics.
I was actually quite blown away by the variety that’s now available. For so many years the organic range has always been quite small and all together in a select part of the store, but now the certified organic range is spread throughout which is awesome to see. Having so much choice really makes a difference to what you eat. Out of everything you learned about certified organic whilst filming, what stands out the most? Two things. Firstly, the high quality standards which needs to be met in order to have the official Bud logo on your product.
Left: Lincoln with Mike Shanley at Market Organics. Top: Lincoln and Paul Brooking at Fordsdale Organic Farms. Below: Lincoln and Paul da Silva at Cleaver’s Organic Meats.
AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC CONNECT
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AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY OWNED COMPANY FLAVOURS THAT FLY
Awareness Month CAMPAIGN SUCCESS
BY NIKI FORD CEO, AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC LTD
It gives me enormous pleasure to reflect on what is now the seventh Australian Organic Awareness Month (AOAM). While I experienced the first four AOAMs as a certified organic processor through my role as National Sales Manager for Kadac and Eco-Farms during 2014-2017; the past three events, from 2018-2020, have been quite personal for me. Initially in 2018, I was engaged as a consultant by Australian Organic to project manage the campaign. More recently, in 2019 and 2020, I am now proudly the CEO of Australia’s Peak Industry Body who is the owner of the most successful awareness campaign for certified organic. When I first joined Australian Organic Limited as a consultant in 2018, I could not be more excited as the AOAM campaign intertwined with my passion and my skillset. I was so proud to work on the campaign and it was a pure delight to bring names like Lola Berry and Dr Sarah Lantz on board that year. The 2020 campaign brief was all about bringing organic to the mainstream market, which was the key driver to signing Lincoln Lewis; an accomplished Australian actor, traveller and healthy lifestyle advocate. Lincoln’s down to earth attitude, genuine curiosity and passion for discovering what it really means to be certified has made his journey the perfect education median to promote the benefits of a certified organic lifestyle. In previous AOAM campaigns, AOL have partnered with Teresa Cutter, Carla Oates, Tracey Spicer, Luke Hines, Pete Evans, Zoe Naylor, Elle Halliwell, Therese Kerr and Magdalena Rose - altogether 29 personalities who have proudly shared their passion for the certified organic industry. Modelled on the enormously successful Organic September in the UK (hosted by the Soil Association),
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AOAM has grown each year in coverage and content. Over the seven years since AOAM launched there have been 61 brands partaking in the campaign, many of them returning sponsors. Arcadian’s Cleaver’s brand has been a sponsor of AOAM for 6 years. “We strongly believe that the AOAM presence has developed since we first become sponsors. The AOAM reports that the team present every year post activity are a proof of that, along with the constantly growing organic community, the consumer reach is wider with every campaign. The events, social media content and PR activities are every time more significant,” commented Paul da Silva, Marketing Manager of Arcadian Natural & Organic Meat Co. Many other brands have returned year on year as campaign supporters. Seasol are in their fifth year; Angove Family Wines, bean ground & drunk and Macro have all participated four times; and there is an enormous list of three-year supporters including Coles, Bertolli, Bellamy’s, Murray River Organics, Inglewood, Kadac, Absolute Organic, Barambah Organics, Thomas Chipman, Borderland Organics and Five:am. Regardless of the number of years of support, each brand has made AOAM what it is today. See the full list of sponsors opposite. While originally supported by Bud licensees only, the past two years AOAM has been supported by AUS-QUAL certification body and most recently this year, NASAA Certified Organic joined in celebrating Australia’s largest certified organic consumer campaign. If you want to share in the celebration and do not know how, head to the AOAM website to download your campaign material. Get involved and help educate consumers to look for a certification logo such as the Bud.
AOAM S ponsors 2014 - 2020
Aldi Angove Family Winemakers Arahura Farms Arcadian (Cleaver’s Organic) Australia’s Own Organic Australian Organic Food Co Barambah Organics Bare Bunny Bellamy’s Organic Bertolli Bhumi Organic Cotton Bill’s Bread Bill’s Organics Borderland Organics Bubs Australia Buchi Kombucha Carol’s Beauty Casalare Clemence Organics Coles Organic Corteva CUB (Pure Blonde Organic) Divine by Therese Kerr Douglas Park Organic E3Live Australia Eco-Farms (Absolute Organic) Endota Spa Enervest Enviroganic Flannery’s Gemtree wines Gourmet Organic Herbs Higher Living (first international sponsor) Hightrees Estate Inglewood Jalna Dairy Group Jasper Coffee Kadac Kialla Pure Foods Macro Wholefoods Melrose Mountain Goat Beer Murray River Organics Nature’s Gift Organic Crop Protectants Organic Spa Ozganics Peninsula Fresh Organics Probiotic Solutions Sacred Grounds Seasol Spiral Foods Stevia Organic Sugarless Teelixir The Bean Alliance (bean ground & drunk) The Beauty Chef The Organic Farm Gate The Organic Milk Co Thomas Chipman TOM Organic Whole Kids Windowrie Wines Zkin Organic
10 Minutes with
PAUL TURNER, WOOLWORTHS GENERAL MANAGER OF FRUIT & VEGETABLES BY HARRIET KENDRICK Woolworths Macro Organics has been a proud supporter of Australian Organic Awareness Month for many years, bearing the Australian Organic owned ‘Bud’ certification logo on all products within the Macro Organic range. Paul Turner, General Manager of Fruit and Vegetables at Woolworths and the face of the Fresh Market Update, has been with the major supermarket for over 33 years, working across various departments and growing his passion for fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce. The Macro Organic fresh produce offering has developed significantly since Paul began his career at Woolworths; growing from just a few lines to becoming a substantial contributor to overall produce sales. “When I started, there was just a few grocery products and one or two lines of fruit and veg. Now, organic makes up over one percent of total fruit and veg sales, and significantly, the total organics market in Australia is upwards nearly two billion dollars in horticulture. Organic is a significant industry now and certainly stands on its own two feet. People have often referred to it as a ‘cottage industry’ but I don’t believe that is the case.” Growing the Macro Organic brand is a continual priority for the supermarket chain, not only to meet the growing demands of its already invested organic customers, but also to encourage new customers to delve into organics for the first time. “Organic has been a real growth part of the produce section for quite a few years. It has been exceeding double digit growth year on year for the past five years – well ahead of conventional. Our customers are telling us that’s an area where they want to see more choice, more comparative pricing and more availability all year round.” Paul says one of the roadblocks to providing organic produce with more variety, at more competitive pricing and with more availability is the shortfall in in meeting customer demand – something which Woolworths is hoping to nurture with $30
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million of investment into the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund. Launched in 2018, the Organic Growth Fund not only supports established organic growers, but also provides assistance to conventional growers looking to convert to organic. “Organic conversion takes quite a while – in some cases up to three years. It’s a big commitment for growers, both for current organic growers looking to expand and also for conventional growers who are thinking of moving into organics. “The Organic Growth Fund was designed to build for the future with organics, and one way we can do that is to be there alongside growers throughout their journey.” By injecting such a large investment into the industry, Woolworths is hoping to fill the gaps in supply for organic produce. “When we initiated the Organic Growth Fund, our biggest problem was that we could only supply around 65% of the demand that was in the market. We haven’t necessarily moved the dial significantly on supply versus demand as these things are a long slow burn, and we know that we’re not going to see results for around 4-5 years. But if we start that journey, and we invest in farms and growers to allow them to make that expansion, and feel more confident that they can do it without having to necessarily overextend themselves, then we have the capacity to be able to grow the market a lot closer to where it needs to be.” The organic industry has proven its resilience during some of the country’s most difficult times, and the growth in demand for organic produce hasn’t faltered. This includes the COVID-19 pandemic, where consumers have turned to healthier foods and opted for more local produce. “Some of our key observations during COVID-19 holistically, not just with organics, is that people are starting to ‘scratch cook’ at home and starting to eat more healthily.
“They’re buying more raw product and putting more fruit and vegetables into their baskets, which is really good news.” With the new ‘stay at home’ and ‘work from home’ culture comes the need to find healthier snacks – a trend which is also benefiting the fruit and veg sector. For some newcomers to organic produce, price is still a sticking point, but feedback suggests shoppers are surprised by the amount of organic produce available. “We have a variety of different types of customers. Some are heavily engaged in organic so are always looking for more lines. For customers new to organic, their first impressions are generally about organic produce being more expensive than conventional. However, when they do start to invest in organic, they’re surprised by the range that we carry. They’re also quite surprised that so much organic produce is grown here in Australia. It’s not a well-known fact.” If you are new to organic, Paul suggests that fruit and vegetables are a great place to start. Carrots, bananas, and berries, which are coming into season shortly, are great entry points into organic produce. “All the products that you know and love in conventional are just as good, if not better, in organic, depending on what your needs are.”
Woolworths are hoping the $30 million investment from their Organic Growth Fund will pave the way to making organics more accessible to new customers. “For our highly engaged premium and super premium customers, price has never been a barrier. For mainstream customers, price is becoming more comparable on organic products where the volumes are available. Generally, we find customers that don’t usually invest in the organic category really start to buy into products that are around 1.5 times the price of conventional.” “The whole premise behind the Organic Growth Fund is to partner with producers to increase supply and create economies of scale. Growers can still make good margins, but we can bring prices down and close to gap between organic and conventional.” All products found within the Macro Organic range are certified organic and carry the ‘Bud’ certification mark, a guarantee to customers that they are buying genuine, trustworthy organic products. “Trust is key. We want to make sure that our customers are aware that everything we sell that states ‘organic’ on the packaging is 100% Australian certified organic.”
What sets The Organic Milk Company apart is that we are fully Australian owned, wi our farmers working together to produce premium quality organic milk and dairy products for Australian families. Our products start wi a passion for quality, organic dairy milk. No additives, antibiotics or GMOs. If you haven’t yet treated your family to The Organic Milk Co. range, Australian Organic Awareness Mon is a great time to start. www.organicmilkco.com.au
A N E W R A N G E F R O M A U S T R A L I A’ S NUMBER 1 ORGANIC WINERY
angove.com.au
0 202 Ga ts rd e n i n g P ro d u c
Why Certify
BY OWEN GWILLIAM
CONSIDERATIONS & BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
Thinking about organic certification? We’ve put together some of the different factors to consider before you begin your certification journey. Are you really organic? There are clear rules and regulations around the use of the word “organic” as a trade description on agricultural produce in Australia. These rules are detailed in the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, which is a government standard that is legally enforceable for produce being exported. It has also been adopted for domestic use but is not yet legally enforced. Australian Organic is leading a campaign that promotes the benefits of making this standard enforceable on the domestic market and has recently gained the support of the Federal Agriculture Minister and the National Farmers’ Federation. This means that in future, all businesses claiming organic on produce will be required to have certification – whether exporting or not. So, while some producers may identify as organic (or “spray free”, or “regenerative”), the only way to know for sure is to compare your practices with the stipulations of the National Standard. Third party certification Once you are sure of your compliance to the National Standard, the best way to assure your customers of this fact is through independent third-party certification. In Australia, there are six government approved certification bodies available, with varying fee structures, but all can offer a reputable organic certificate. The conversion process for farms can take up to three years, so bear this in mind when you begin your certification journey. Market access Some markets are simply only available to certified organic producers. Large organic wholesalers and the major supermarkets will only buy organic produce from certified organic producers who are able to provide a copy of their current organic certificate, stating that the produce listed on the certificate was produced according to the requirements of the National Standard. Being certified organic means that you can sell to these specialist markets, as well as conventional (non-organic)
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As Australian Organic’s Chief Technical Officer, Owen brings over 19 years of auditing and consulting experience and is now focused on market access, standards and industry development.
markets, but not the other way around! Market premium In addition to gaining access to a new or larger market, you may also benefit from a price premium for your certified organic produce. Although certification is not a guarantee of a higher price, it certainly opens up new niche and premium markets where consumers are willing to pay more for premium products. Despite this, your produce will still be subject to normal market forces of supply and demand. Fresh produce is vulnerable to gluts and shortages – and this can still happen with organic produce. Long-term commitment Maintaining certification is a commitment and isn’t always easy. You may already consider yourself an organic producer, but there may be additional requirements for organic certification that you hadn’t considered. For example, the need for a documented Organic Management Plan is a foundational requirement, where certified organic operators are required to document a plan for how they will run all aspects of their operation – this may include: soil fertility management; pest and disease; animal welfare; traceability, and; record keeping. Detailed record keeping is also required, where all inputs such as seed and fertilisers, as well as all significant activities such as planting and harvesting, must be recorded, so that evidence can be shown to the organic inspector during your annual inspection as to how the produce was grown. The inspection itself requires that you make accessible all areas of the farm and make available all relevant records. The decision to certify your operation may bring substantial improvements to market access, provide opportunities for premium pricing and create a new degree of trust with your customers. As with every large business decision, always do your research before taking the first step. For more information about organic certification and beginning the certification journey, join our free webinar ‘Why Certify’ on 9 September 2020.
Free Webinar
WHY CERTIFY? WITH OWEN GWILLIAM When: 9 September 2020 @ 10:30am AEST Duration: 45mins - 1 hour Join Australian Organic’s Chief Technical Officer, Owen Gwilliam, for this free webinar to learn more about the benefits of becoming certified and how you can begin your certification journey. • • • • • • •
Benefits of organic certification Should I get certified? What costs are involved? How do I become organic certified? An introduction to certification requirements Application and initial audit process Annual renewal process – how to prepare for your audit, and address any non-compliances
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AUS-QUAL offers organic auditing and certification to sectors of the Organic Agricultural, Processing and Food Handling Industries. We provide industry the convenience of working with one professional business for all on farm and processing auditing requirements. AUS-QUAL’s Organic Program is approved by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water Resources & Environment to audit to the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce. We also offer certification to organic operations on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Organic Program (NOP). Learn more on our website: www.ausmeat.com.au
New University Course
IN ORGANICS A NECESSARY PART OF A RAPIDLY GROWING INDUSTRY
BY DR LIZA OATES Dr Liza Oates is a lecturer in Food as Medicine at RMIT University. Her PhD investigated the ‘Health, Wellness and the Effects of Organic Diets’, and she is currently helping to develop the new Graduate Certificate in Organic Food and Nutrition at Southern Cross University. Over the years I’ve met a lot of people within the organic industry and there are some seriously smart cookies out there. Most of them have been self-taught or have learned about organics from exposure to specific parts of the industry. For some, it’s taken years or even decades to amass a holistic understanding of the organic industry. However, with consumers now demanding to know more about the health and sustainability effects of the products they purchase, the Australian organic industry is growing at a rapid rate. This has led to the need for a formal university qualification so those in the industry can develop a deeper understanding of the subject and become trusted business authorities. Until now the offerings at a university level have been a bit piecemeal. There hasn’t been one place where you were able to get a good overview of a number of important aspects of the organic industry.
The Graduate Certificate in Organic Food and Nutrition, of which I’m proud to be a part of, is actually the first course of its kind in Australia solely dedicated to organic education. The eight-month part-time course is offered online by Southern Cross University’s new National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM), with classes commencing this month. It will develop students’ knowledge and practice in organic farming, sustainable and ethical food systems, the produce journey, and the connection between organic food and health. The NCNM, which opened this year at Lismore, is the first institution in Australia to offer postgraduate pathways in naturopathy and is committed to elevating industry standards and finding solutions to Australia’s growing healthcare needs.
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Units offered include Organic Food Systems; Farm Gate to Plate: Producing Food for Health; Dirt to Dinner: The Principles of Organics; and Food as Medicine. We live in the age of Google so it’s not difficult to find information online. But it can be difficult to know what information you can rely on. I believe this course not only provides a fantastic overview of a lot of the important aspects of the organic industry but it’s also underpinned by that necessity to critically assess the credibility of the information. I will personally be facilitating the Food as Medicine unit where we look at the nutritional composition of food, as well as potential food contaminants. We will explore how these impact human health – both physically and mentally. Throughout the unit we will also examine the current evidence on different types of diets, organic food consumption and the gut microbiome. When I was developing the unit, I wanted to convey that food as medicine is about more than just what constitutes a healthy diet. It’s about treating holistically and individualising the diet in the context of values, culture and lifestyle. It recognises that food choices not only affect your health but also have ethical, social, economic and environmental effects on the wider community. The aim will be to try to get students to engage with the content in a personal and meaningful way. We use an inquiry-based approach where questions will be asked and students will explore the evidence to come up with answers. There are also a lot of activities where students assess their own diets and look for ways to improve them.
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We hope to attract students from diverse backgrounds. Basically, this means anyone who needs to be able to communicate credible information about the organic industry to consumers or policy makers. Some prospective students may already work in parts of the organic industry, others may have a general interest in health and sustainability. They may work in organic food production or supply chains, food policy, the organic retail sector or they may be health practitioners. Others may see the course as a pathway for further study at a Masters or Doctoral level. I think the days where a course only delivered information are long gone. These days students expect to acquire skills that they can apply to all aspects of their lives. Our students can expect to develop their adaptive thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to locate and translate credible information for consumers. To me the values that underpin the course with respect to ethical practice and cultural competence are also important in understanding the relationship between food, people and the environment. The industry is growing very fast. We need to learn, adapt and keep up with the pace. Dr Liza Oates is currently a lecturer in the subject Food as Medicine at RMIT. She has a PhD in Health, Wellness and the Effects of Organics, and has developed the Food as Medicine unit for the new Graduate Certificate in Organic Food and Nutrition at Southern Cross University. To learn more or apply, visit the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine website at scu.edu.au/ncnm or call 1800 626 481.
DELIVERING THE HIGHEST QUALITY ORGANIC CERTIFICATION SERVICES. NCO is highly recognised nationally and internationally as one of Australia’s leading organic certification organisations, and we are the largest organic certifier of agricultural land globally. We enable and support operators in accessing global markets, and hold accreditations with: • Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) • US National Organic Program (USNOP) • Dept. of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAW) • European Union, ISO17065 • Partner with a Chinese Certification Body. Our committed team provides the highest level of customer service and technical support, and are ready to assist with your journey to organic certification. Call us on +61 8 7231 7700 or visit nasaa.com.au/nco/ to find out more.
A sustainable farm for a sustainable future EntrustÂŽ Organic is the biological insecticide that restores balance to your crop protection program. It works alongside conventional technologies, delivering proven efficacy and real benefits for your business. With Entrust Organic, you can build sustainable productivity for this generation and secure the future of your farm for the next. To register your interest, contact your Territory Sales Manager or visit entrust-organic.corteva.com.au
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The Australian Organic Collective podcast shares stories from Australian Organic members and the wider organic industry to educate both industry and consumers about the importance of looking for a certification logo on organic purchases. Join us as we learn more about the farmers, manufacturers and brands behind some of your favourite certified organic products. Episodes feature interviews with CEO Niki Ford, Chairman Martin Meek, Chief Technical Officer Owen Gwilliam, and Paul Da Silva, Marketing Manager of Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Co. Listen to the Australian Organic Collective Podcast on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Why
WE’RE NOT RUNNING OUT OF FOOD ANYTIME SOON BY OWEN GWILLIAM
You may have seen the headline “We need to double food production by 2050” once or twice before. It’s a statement that seems to be commonly accepted as true, but the data just doesn’t seem to add up. It was the US Agriculture Secretary at the time, Earl Butz, who pushed the idea that organic agriculture could not “feed the world”. He is credited with stating publicly in 1971 (the same year the gold standard was abolished) that, “Before we go back to organic agriculture in this country, somebody must decide which 50 million Americans we are going to let starve or go hungry.” The statement from 1971 simply wasn’t and isn’t true, but sadly it is often repeated and combined with scary “statistics” on population growth, to promote the idea that with too much organic agriculture, we will run short of food. However, thanks to numerous studies such as the Rodale Institute’s Long-Term Farming System Trial, we now know that organic farms tend to, on average, yield similarly to conventional, and often better in difficult years. Not only do we already have enough food for everyone, but the rate at which food production is increasing, is higher than the rate at which the population is growing. Based on this data, we don’t have a problem now, and are unlikely to in future.
Current production Official estimates suggest consistently that we currently produce somewhere between 1.5 to 2 times
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the quantity of food we need for the current global population to be sufficiently fed. That is not to say that people go hungry, are malnourished, or tragically starve, but this is not due to lack of production, but rather other factors such as distribution, lack of economic freedom, political problems, or a combination thereof. In this case, increasing production will likely have little impact.
Production trends The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations collate extensive data on global food production and make this data publicly available on their website. While many PhDs could be spent analysing this data, a quick look at the production levels of major staple foods over recent decades shows a clear trend – food production is increasing, and at an increasing rate (take a look for yourself, at www.fao.org).
Population growth rates During my career in the organic industry, I have been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout Asia and the South Pacific, and in these areas it is easy to think that the population is exploding. However globally, it’s another story. It is a well-known phenomenon that as standard of living improves (as it has so incredibly over the last 50 years) fertility rates drop. So, why is population still increasing then? Well, improved standard of living also brings increased lifespan. This effect is so significant, that the population increases over the last 20 years are mostly attributed to people living longer – not to more children being born.
Average human lifespan has increased significantly in the last 50 years, but in the USA especially, it appears this trend has rolled over. For the first time in human history, children in the USA will have shorter lives than their parents.1 Other developed nations have also seen a major slow down in rate of increase of lifespan. It seems the rapid increase in population due to improved standards of living has happened, but those days are over – overall fertility rates are dropping and dropping fast.2
Production and the power of markets
While global population numbers grew exponentially for a while, this has now ceased. The total living population has roughly doubled since 1970 but the above evidence suggests that this will not happen again.
So, next time you read a headline or hear a speaker suggesting we are facing a food supply crisis and need to double our food production, I urge you to think twice and consider where their incentives lie. Perhaps their statement is more about selling their latest fertiliser, GMO, or securing another round of research funding, than it is about helping humanity.
Impartial assessment of population data does not leave one thoroughly convinced of the accuracy of the widespread predictions of reaching a total of 9.5 – 10 billion people by 2050. Elon Musk famously weighed into the argument recently via Twitter, tipping population decline by 2050, and following up with, “The world’s population is accelerating towards collapse, but few seem to notice or care.” So, how are claims we need to DOUBLE food production by 2050 justified? Well, there are a couple of common assumptions that are used in studies that make this statement.
In my opinion, the best way to increase global food production would be for food to be more expensive. If the marginal return on producing each additional tonne of food outweighs the cost of production, then entrepreneurial and innovative farmers will find a way to cash in on this opportunity. I’m not suggesting subsidies, I’m referring to the invisible hand of markets – the good old-fashioned law of supply and demand.
References: Ludwig, D. Declining Life Expectancy According to New CDC Data. 2016 https://medium.com/@davidludwigmd/declininglife-expectancy-according-to-new-cdc-data-d137ae07d1bb 1
Gallagher, J. ‘Remarkable’ decline in fertility rates. BBC 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-46118103 2
The first assumption being that per capita consumption of food will increase greatly – sometimes as much as double – from 2000kcal to 4000kcal per day. In light of the global obesity and diabetes epidemic, this may not be a great idea. The second is that our reliance on biofuels will increase greatly, meaning vast amounts of our farmland will be used for biofuel, rather than food production. While these two assumptions may be accurate to some extent, the media often assumes that if we don’t double food production, people will starve. This is not a fair representation of the situation.
Organic auditing in Vanuatu, 2018.
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Highlighting THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY ON OUR FARMS WITH ALEX THOMAS BY HARRIET KENDRICK Each year, National Farm Safety Week raises awareness of farm safety issues across Australia. This year, the national campaign is themed ‘Farming for a Future’ and focuses on forward planning and mitigating potential future risks – something which has been brought to light with recent bushfires, floods and now the COVID-19 outbreak. Supporting this year’s campaign and spreading the word about farm safety is Alex Thomas; Director and Principal Consultant of her own work health and safety consultancy, Alex Thomas Pty Ltd. With over 14 years’ experience in work health and safety across a range of different sectors, Alex is passionate
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about the health, safety and wellbeing of rural men and women, utilising knowledge gained from working with over 100 different businesses. Alex has been formally endorsed by the Executive Director of SafeWork SA for her approach to assisting industry and was also the recipient of the 2018 AgriFuturesTM Rural Women’s Award (SA), the 2018 SafeWork SA Augusta Zadow Award, and the 2019 Seafood Industry Safety Award (SA) for her work in rural health and safety. A “school of the air kid” growing up on a sheep station in the North East Pastoral of South Australia, Alex’s roots are firmly set in agriculture. During her childhood, the station experienced several severe droughts, followed by a series of events that left her caring for her father in different capacities since the age of 15. “My Dad contracted Q fever from his work with feral goats. He was then later diagnosed with Ross River virus and diabetes, heart failure and kidney failure. That, coupled with the stress of drought and later divorce, meant that he was rendered permanently
disabled at the age of 56. The sale of the station and the deterioration of his health was the catalyst for why I’m so passionate about health and safety, particularly in rural industries.” With health and safety experience not only agriculture, but also in mining, construction and oil and gas, Alex’s focus has always been on the people behind the numbers, specialising in “recalibrating the value proposition of health and safety from box-ticking to reducing risk and empowering people, so that at the end of the day, people don’t get hurt.” National Farm Safety Week provides an opportunity to open discussions about health and safety in rural communities and reinforce the message to ‘be aware and assess the risk’. The agricultural industry has consistently been one of the worst performing from a health and safety perspective, with on-farm death and injury proving a major problem for farming in Australia (Farmsafe Australia Inc. 2020) highlighting the importance of risk awareness on farms and farming operations. Despite this, there has been a significant reduction of on-farm injury related deaths over the past 20 years, as reported by Farmsafe Australia Inc., meaning that the industry is making progress in the right direction. Reinforcing a more positive narrative is something that Alex advocates to support and acknowledge farmers’ efforts towards mitigating risk; “Being constantly bombarded with negative statistics can be dis-empowering for people in rural industries and communities, because they genuinely care so much for their people. “Nobody goes to work on any given day wanting to hurt themselves or another person. I’m keen to see the narrative flipped from the negative to spreading the word on the positive – shining a spotlight on the practical solutions that rural men and women implement to preserve the health and safety of their people. “There are a lot of farmers making smart, safe and healthy choices on a day to day basis, but as a society we’re not good at acknowledging that fact. Part of the work that I do is about supporting and encouraging farmers and fishers to take a proactive, preventative approach to health and safety, rather than being constantly disheartened by the stigma that they’re ‘doing it wrong’.” Alex also adds that health and safety in agriculture often suffers from over-administration; a relentless
focus on policies, procedures and penalties which, at the end of the day, doesn’t necessarily constitute safer choices. “Most of the time the people spruiking those messages have never worked on a farm, and don’t understand the highly variable nature of the work being done. They don’t appreciate the innate care that farmers have for their people and they often have little knowledge of the practical things that farmers do to manage risk.” She believes this heavy gearing towards bureaucracy is both the legacy left by superseded legislation and a flow-on effect from industries dominated by big corporates such as mining, construction and oil and gas. Since agriculture is largely comprised of small family businesses, the compliance narrative needs to be re-adjusted. “It’s not to suggest that there isn’t room for improvement, and I think raising awareness on the topic in a way that makes sense to farmers is incredibly important.” Starting the conversation about work health and safety doesn’t have to be difficult. Alex suggests brainstorming a list of the top ten things that could seriously injure or kill a person on farm, and then making a to-do list of all the practical things you and your team can put in place to prevent that from happening. Instead of focusing on ‘ticking a box’ as a way of trying to become ‘compliant’, she says that it’s even more important to keep the conversation about risk alive amongst those living and working on the property. “You might be sitting around the kitchen table or gathering around the back of the ute, or even in the stockyards at smoko time… whatever the case, never underestimate the value in having a conversation about what could go wrong, how it could go wrong and what are you’re going to do about it.” For most farmers, health and safety is about common sense. For Alex, it’s about making common sense not just assumed, but explicit. Things such as making sure you have a UHF radio with you at all times, putting protective guards in place and making sure that new employees are aware of the risks on the farm. Simple things, that can often get forgotten during day-to-day work activities. As Alex explains, reducing risk differs from workplace to workplace; “The ways in which one farm might choose to reduce a risk may be completely different to that of another. Risk is highly subjective.” Story continues on the next page...
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Alex is also the founder of The #PlantASeedForSafety Project – an initiative that recognises the unique role that women play in rural communities and workplaces. In addition to a social media campaign, the project aims to profile the stories of 100+ rural women from across Australia and New Zealand to both engage and empower them to have conversations about health and safety. “#PlantASeedForSafety is about celebrating and acknowledging the enormous contribution that women make to rural industries and communities, and the practical improvements they either make or influence to the health and safety of those around them,” Alex comments, “Since there is no delineation between what’s considered ‘home’ and what’s considered ‘work’ in agriculture – even if women aren’t working in the paddock, they have a direct influence on the choices the people around them make on a day-to-day basis. “Women are incredibly influential – even if they don’t realise it. The fresh perspective and diversity of thought that women bring to the table when it comes to health and safety holds immense value, which is often ignored, and it shouldn’t be.”
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For women working in the work health and safety profession in agriculture, Alex advises them to remain connected to the cause and to challenge their assumptions about work health and safety. “Compliance with work health and safety legislation has become detached from its overarching intent, which at its very core, is to do your best to prevent someone from getting hurt. “Don’t believe everything you hear about work health and safety – there is a myriad of alternate approaches out there that don’t require the adoption of paperwork, and there is no substitute for good leadership, effective communication and a genuine effort to reduce risk. Often, being influential in this space is seldom about having all the answers, but in simply asking good questions.” Photo credits: Robert Lang Photography / Jack Of Hearts Photography
Sustainable Agriculture for a Sustainable Future In the summer of 1982, a research scientist took a wellearned holiday in the sunny Caribbean. While touring the local sights he was struck by the sudden quiet of insect life.
Subsequently, the APVMA approved an emergency use permit (PER89870) for the use of Entrust Organic by growers struggling with FAW.
Intrigued, he took soil samples back to the USA for testing and discovered a unique soil bacterium that produces active metabolites (spinosyns) that gave excellent control of certain insect pests.
“Biological products are often associated with lower levels of performance compared to synthetic insecticides,” Corteva Agriscience Marketing Manager Nick Koch said. “This could not be further from the truth when assessing the performance of Entrust Organic.”
Years of development and testing followed, culminating in the release of Entrust® Organic, a product characterised by its efficacy equivalent to synthetic insecticides, but with the safety and environmental profile of a biological.
“Growers will be delighted with the speed of control and activity across multiple life stages. The largest larval instars prove to be no match for Entrust Organic”.
Naturally derived, effective and fast-acting, Entrust Organic has long been anticipated by the Australian market. Its organic certification, favourable environmental profile and selectivity to key beneficial insects make it ideal for growers wanting a more sustainable production system.
Trans-laminar activity is a product feature. The active ingredient moves into the leaf tissue allowing it to control pests, such as leaf miner. However, it is not systemic, and thorough coverage is required to protect the entire crop and repeated application to protect new growth.
Entrust Organic belongs to a unique insecticide group known as the ‘Spinosyns’. A group 5 insecticide for resistance management, shared only by two other products, Success® Neo and Delegate® insecticide.
“It’s hard to imagine a product that is so effective at controlling pests being sustainable, but this is certainly the case,” said Mr Koch.
It is a new resistance management tool for organic growers for the selective control of some of Australia’s most damaging pests. Covering over 80 registered crops, including a wide range of fruit and vegetables, it is extremely versatile for mixed farm enterprises. Entrust Organic offers effective control of several damaging Lepidoptera species including Diamondback moth, Heliothis, Cluster caterpillar, Light brown apple moth and other caterpillar pests including loopers. It also controls Western flower thrip, leaf miner and Cherry slugs (Diptera). The arrival of Fall Army Worm (FAW) in Australia in early 2020 presented major challenges for organic producers.
“Entrust Organic degrades quickly from exposure to sunlight, breaking down into carbon dioxide and water within days.” “Organic growers now have a pest control option that ticks all the boxes. They can rest assured knowing that their crop protection choices will provide them with a sustainable future for this generation into the next.” Entrust® Organic is available in limited supply from October. Register your interest at entrust-organic.corteva.com.au or call Corteva Agriscience toll free on 1800 700 096.
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CERTIFIED ORGANIC AWARENESS MONTH BOX FOR JUST $39!
To celebrate Australian Organic Awareness Month this September, we’ve put together a specially curated box full of certified organic products from some of our 2020 campaign sponsors. From certified organic beverages, snacks and health foods, to skincare and even a garden treatment, there’s something from every category. What’s more, these boxes are worth over $230! A great way to try a range of different certified organic products for a fraction of the cost. Don’t miss out and order yours today - limited stock available! #AOAM2020 #ChooseOrganic #WhyOrganic
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Simple Recipe
BY DR SARAH LANTZ Dr Sarah Lantz is a writer, author, mother and advocate for healthy living and fermentation. She has a background in nutrition, public and environmental health and specializes in the area of child and youth health and wellbeing – conducting research at the University of Queensland surrounding Children’s Environmental Health.
JAMU: WARMING WINTER TONIC
RECIPE FROM FORAGE, FERMENT, FEAST BY SARAH LANTZ & WEIER HIGGS. This recipe, Jamu (the old spelling is Djamu), is a delicious, warming, traditional plant medicine tonic originating from Indonesia. Its linage can be traced back to the royalty of Java, similar to the way that Ayurveda’s linage can be traced to India. Jamu is considered a potent herbal tonic or infusion made from roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits and used as a remedy to purify, energise, heal and, locals say, beautify the body. In most places across Indonesia, Jamu herbal tonic is still sold at street-side stalls by hawkers carrying the yellow and orange tonics, often sweetened with honey or coconut sugar. This is where we originally got acquainted with this tonic – in a little shop surrounded by rice paddy fields, gaggles of ducks and diligent farmers pulling muddy oxen hitched to wooden ploughs. In Indonesia, Jamu is known locally as Jamu Kunyit Assem, and one is encouraged to drink the tonic neat upon rising to wake up the senses, on the rocks with a squeeze of lemon to restore natural energy throughout the day, or warmed for a gentle, restorative cup of golden tea. A Balinese high priest once told me that women traditionally drink Jamu two or three times a week for beauty, while men drink it mixed with raw egg yolk for
strength and sexual virility. With all the beautiful, barefoot children running around the villages, it’s clear that Jamu continues its potency. Inspired by this traditional food wisdom, this Jamu tonic recipe is a carefully crafted infusion that blends old world practices with pure local tastes. While many forms of Jamu beverages are created and consumed raw, this recipe is heated. Like many in the health industry, and generally in Ayurvedic traditions, our Javanese teachers believed that drinking too much raw turmeric root was not good for the pancreas or liver, while heating the turmeric during cooking helped to increase the amount of curcumin that the body can absorb. There is hardly a system in the body that isn’t supported by the powerful antioxidant qualities of turmeric, including the blood, liver, joints, immune system and digestive tract. To boost the turmeric’s potency, a touch of black pepper is added. Black pepper contains an alkaloid called piperine, which helps curcumin better absorb into the body. Combined with nature’s other superheroes – tamarind, lemon and a touch of pure local honey or a sweetener of your choice – this recipe yields a potent, powerful and delicious tonic, both on the rocks or warmed as a restorative tea.
INGREDIENTS (Makes a 2-litre Brew)
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5 inch piece of turmeric root, peeled and cut into pieces
5-7 tamarind pods or 2 tablespoons tamarind paste or concentrate
1/2 cup raw honey or coconut sugar (or sweeten to taste)
2 litres of water
A pinch of black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
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METHOD Slice the turmeric root and prepare the tamarind pods.
Brewing Tips
Crack and open the pods and remove only the fruit. Place both into a blender along with a pinch of black pepper and some of the water.
Bear in mind that fresh turmeric stains everything it comes into contact with, so don’t use your best chopping board, and gloves can be worn if you are making large batches.
Blend at high speed for a few minutes, then pour the yellow mixture into a pot with the remaining water and slowly bring to a gentle simmer for ten minutes. The water will become a rich golden yellow or orange. Then add the honey or coconut sugar and stir until dissolved, then lemon juice to taste. The Jamu can now be strained and consumed as a soothing, restorative tea, or it can be cooled and poured into glass jars or bottles with tight lids, leaving half to one inch of head space.
It’s also a good idea to wash your blender immediately and thoroughly after using. You can also bottle and ferment your Jamu at room temperature for 1–2 days, then refrigerate for storage. The honey will gradually ferment, leaving the taste but not the sweetness. Change up the recipe with a thumb of ginger or galangal for an extra kick or try any combination of cider spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
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Operation:
EAT GOOD FATS
Fat is tricky territory; there’s no wonder people are confused about it these days. Out of all the food pyramid’s victims, the most savagely persecuted was fat, particularly saturated fat. The recommendation from the anti-fat camp over the past 60 years has remained fairly constant: limit your intake of saturated fat, which will raise deadly cholesterol, clog arteries, cause heart disease, and make us, well - fat. Do you remember those fats ads on the television where a person is holding a human heart artery and squeezing out a sludgy, greasy substance? Yet this is all now turning around. It might come as a surprise to many that the case against saturated fat has never been proven to be conclusive. Researchers today continue to highlight the fact that the case against fat was cobbled together with pieces of observational data, short-term trials, cherry-picked data and guesswork, resulting in a theory that is dubious at best. In a provocative cover story titled ‘Eat Butter’ by Time Magazine, the editors proclaimed that scientists were mistaken to label saturated fats the enemy 60 years earlier when lead researcher Ancel Keys was photographed for its front cover. This article essentially retracted its once support of the research. In fact, in the wave of recent diet-related diseases, there has been a return to traditional food sources and clean saturated fats - coconut oil, cream and flesh, flaxseeds and flax oil, nuts and seeds, pasture-raised eggs, olives and olive oil, avocados, organic meats and their fats, ghee, butter, and wild, small fish and their oils. Studies of traditional diets globally reveal
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BY DR SARAH LANTZ
that saturated fat intake across the board was, as a proportion of total energy intake, significantly higher than the amount we consume today. Yet notably, these populations experienced little or none of the epidemic diseases of modern western society.1 Saturated fats are what the innate intelligence of our body knows and understands. You see, they are structural. They are literally saturated with hydrogen atoms, making them predominately stable to heat, light and oxygen. They can get into our bones, teeth, muscles, heart and brain. In this, they build us – repair us. Fatty organs such as the liver, lungs and brain love saturated fats. These organs require significant amounts of saturated fats to be able to clean and lubricate themselves. During those critical early years, children need high levels of fat compared to adults. Paediatric clinicians note that children who are on low-fat, low-cholesterol diets often fail to grow to full potential.2 Saturated fat makes up over half the fat in the human brain - we are literally ‘fat-heads’ – and the lion’s share of fatty acids are saturated. If we are not putting the right building blocks into our bodies in the form of natural fats, we are compromising many different areas of our ongoing nervous system function, health and development. This includes our brains, including our cognition, neural transmission and neurotransmitter production; our body’s ability to repair and build new cells; our production of steroid sex hormones for optimal
fertility; our energy levels; and our youthful looks, which could leave us looking old and haggard before our time. Which brings me to the most obvious draw card, all nutrition benefits aside – full-fat products just taste more delicious. Full stop. Note: care must be taken to ensure that fat consumed from animals comes from clean, grass-fed, organic sources. What sets us apart from previous generations is the fact that Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are fat loving, and unfortunately saturated fats from animals globally can contain of these contaminants. Dieters, also take note - when you want to lose weight, what is the first thing you would usually cut from your diet? If you said fat, you’re not alone. A prominent study found that when you replace saturated fat with a higher carbohydrate intake, which is usually the case, you exacerbate insulin resistance and obesity, increase triglycerides, and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol.3
then reacts promptly with increases in appetite or cravings. In other words, when food was sparse, our bodies would store fat until meals were more certain. Modern day low-fat diets therefore tell our body that there is a food shortage. However, your body doesn’t know that you’ve decided to lose weight. Instead, the body decides, ‘I live in a food-insecure world. The next time I get food I better store more fat for next time’.5 And a final note for the women out there: women have been particularly hurt by the demonisation of fat, but we need clean, traditional fats in our diets for fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and generally to stay lean, fit and healthy while growing and raising our children. Breast milk, particularly colostrum, is 50% saturated fat. Cholesterol is also the basic building block for our sex hormones, which are responsible for ovulation and egg cell maturation. That is why healthy fats in your diet can boost fertility and reproductive health. References:
The fact is, fats are uniquely satiating. It’s the macronutrient with the highest ability to affect the release of the hormone cholecystokinin in our gastrointestinal tract, keeping our hunger satisfied at a biochemical level. Fat literally means ‘survival’ to the functioning of every human. Diets low in fat paradoxically cause the body to more easily synthesize fat from other sources, most notably sugars and carbohydrates, and then store this unwanted fat. You see, ‘diets high in carbohydrates can trigger our master hormone, leptin, to become dysregulated. Blood sugar surges lead to leptin surges and, ultimately, to leptin resistance, in which leptin signalling is no longer effectively heard by the brain’.4 This sends a message of ‘starvation’ to the brain which
Gedgaudas, N. (2009) Primal Body, Primal Mind, Healing Arts Press, Vermont; Fallon Morell, S. (2000) Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow’s Children. 1
Kostyak, J. Kris-Etherton, P. et al (2007) Relative fat oxidation is higher in children than adults, Nutrition Journal, 6:19. 2
Siri-Tarino, P. Sun, Q. Hu, F & Krauss, R. (2010) Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease, Am J Clin Nutr, 91(3): 502-509. i3
op cit Gedgaudas, 2009, pg. 69
4
Lassek, W. & Gaulin, S. (2011) Why Women Need Fat: How ‘Healthy’ Food Makes Us Gain Excess Weight and the Surprising Solution to Losing It Forever, Hudson Street Press, New York 5
AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC CONNECT COMMUNITY
41
AUSTRALIAN ORGA
The most effective way to address critical issues industry is by joining
Australian Organic Ltd (AOL) is the leading representative body for the organic industry. Established more than 30 years ago, AOL was created by industry for industry. Australian Organic continues to work on our most pressing goal on behalf of our members by continuing strategic discussion on the pathway to Domestic Regulation. Australian Organic has presented submissions to the ACCC for non-compliant products labelled “organic”, and we actively advise consumers to look for certification marks on their organic products. Domestic regulation will also assist in obtaining equivalency within the organic export market. We will remain active in prosecuting the need for domestic regulation with relevant federal and state government departments. Our Strategic Plan is to Protect and Promote the interests of the industry, and continue to Engage and Consult with government and key sectors to understand and address our industry’s needs and challenges. Over the past twelve months, Australian Organic has been using membership funds to progress the organic industry through the following key activities: • Lobbying Government on domestic regulation; currently tabled for upcoming AGMIN agenda and being drafted for CAF. • Developing relationships with Federal & State Government Minister and Departments primarily within the Agriculture, Trade, Health & Industry portfolios. Read more in our CEO Updates. • Participating in key roundtable discussions with Government and Industry partners such National Farmers Federation (NFF). • Providing the Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs input into Free Trade Agreements. • Lobbying ACCC on “fake organic” products. • Collaborating with International counterparts to support export opportunities and growth. • Developing domestic awareness campaigns to support the growing demand for organic consumption.
Membership Structure & Fees Certified Operator Membership (Operators licensed to the Bud):
$275 incl. GST
Associate Non-Voting Membership (For any business, organisation or individual):
$550 incl. GST
Associate Voting Membership $1,800 incl. GST (As above, includes voting rights):
ANIC MEMBERSHIP
s facing your organic business and support the Australian Organic.
As a member of this dynamic industry you will receive exclusive access to the below benefits, and so much more.
01
Australian Organic Market Report
Complimentary printed and digital copy of the most recent Australian Organic Market Report, alongside digital copies of previous editions.
03
Monthly Member Updates
Exclusive monthly member updates and CEO updates every two months, sent directly to members.
05
Australian Organic Awareness Month
Exclusive opportunities to be a part of Australia’s largest campaign celebrating certified organic products every September.
07
Trade Exhibitions & Expos
Opportunity to attend trade exhibitions and expos at a discounted rate, alongside exclusive access to partnership opportunities.
02
Industry News & Publications
Access the most recent industry news and updates, relevant to the organic industry.
04
Advisory Boards & Committees
Opportunity to sit on advisory boards and committees and contribute to submissions, specific to your sector.
06
Industry Forums & Networking Events
Access to discounted tickets for sector-specific information sessions and annual networking events to educate and connect the industry.
08
Marketing & Sponsorship Opportunities
Access to marketing and sponsorship opportunities at a 20% discount, alongside opportunities to reach out to over 7,000 Bud Club members with exclusive discounts and offers. Begin with a complimentary blog post on our website.
Become a member today and be informed. Contact Shari Burke: E: shari.burke@austorganic.com | Tel: (07) 3350 5716 www.austorganic.com
austorganic.com
