New Reasearch from the University of Adelaide has found that despite growing interest from Australian consumers to make ethical food choices, most find food labelling inadequate.
It’s a subject Australia’s leading organic certifier, the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) has long been aware of.
NASAA General Manager Ben Copeman said while many products claim to be ‘organic’ the only way for consumers to be 100 percent sure is to look for a ‘certified organic’ label issued by an approved certifier.
Truth in labelling and the importance of certification are just two of the many issues NASAA will explore at a full day Organic Seminar to be held in Canberra this Friday, 13 November.
Mr Copeman said most Australian consumers would be unaware of what it takes to produce high quality organic produce that there was a significant difference between products labelled ‘certified organic’ and products labelled ‘organic’.
“Organic products in Australia are certified to a voluntary National Standard by one of five private certifiers, who then apply their own certified organic labels to products,” he said.
“Certified organic products carry a certification logo and certification number. This is the customer’s assurance that there is a third party verification of the integrity of every step of the production process, from paddock to plate.
“On the other hand, products that are merely labelled ‘organic’ may not be free of chemical residue or may be fully imported and packaged in Australia, with the ingredients unlikely to be certified to an internationally recognised standard such the Australian Standard.”
NASAA’s Organic Seminar will be held at the Mercure Hotel, Canberra on Friday 13 November from 9:30am to 5pm, followed by the NASAA AGM at 5:30pm and dinner at 7pm. Tickets are $44 for NASAA members and $55 for non-members.
