When you buy Organics & biodynamics your purchase is so much more than just being free of some chemical nasties.

 

What does `Organic' mean when I see it on products?

Produce or products with certified Biodynamic & Organic on the label mean that they have been farmed and processed from seed to retail complying to internationally recognised standards.

Biodynamic & Organic farming is a "system" of farming that works in harmony with nature and looks after the health of the ecosystem in order to maintain a healthy soil, which in turn produces healthy crops, which leads to healthy animals and healthy humans.

Healthy Soil leads to Healthy Crops ,Healthy Animals and Healthy Humans

With

Farming which cares for the environment and practices a high level of animal welfare without relying upon synthetic chemicals.

How

·         Combination of traditional proven farming methods with modern technology. Rather than using synthetic pesticides to kill pests, farmers discourage them by planting a biodiverse range of crops, by crop rotation, and by using natural biological and environmentally friendly sprays.

·         By nourishing the soil and its microcosm of life forms rather than force-feeding the plants causing them to grow unnaturally quickly.

This means no artificial pesticides, no herbicides, no hormones or growth promotants no Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's ) and no food irradiation.

Biodynamic farming is an enhanced method of organic farming utilising traditional preparations, whilst acknowledging universal forces at play in the farming environment.

IS IT GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

·         Yes. It supports biodiversity (under the national organic standards 5% of land has to be set aside for biodiversity) Australia already had a fragile ecosystem and thin mantle of soil before the introduction of conventional farming practises.

·         Overuse of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and organophosphates tend to pollute waterways and kill the biological life in the soil. Poor soil structure is responsible for a large percentage of soil erosion.

IS IT SUSTAINABLE?

·         A farm is checked to see if there is a system in place which is well on the way to being sustainable and which a farmer can continue far into the future.

·         Farmers maintain an Organic  & environmental Management Plan, which outlines the ongoing improvements they are making to their farming system.

·         Without good, well cared for soil farmers cannot maintain organic certification.

How do I know it really is `Organic' - who sets the standard and controls the outcomes?

 

The national standards have been developed over the last 25 years,BDRI introduced the Biodynamic standards it had developed from  the work of Rudloph Stiener in the 1960's  &  NASAA  originally formed n the late 1970's

 

HOW DO you KNOW IT IS ORGANIC? - By reading the label. 

·         Look for certified organic or certified biodynamic.  Or look for the logo and name of one of the accredited organic certifiers. If it is not certified, you cannot be sure that the produce is organic.

There are two levels or categories of certification:

CERTIFIED ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC or Level A

·         Produce from a fully converted organic farm. I.e. has been farmed organically, usually for a minimum of three years - inspected and regulated by the certifier. When you buy from this farm you are supporting many years of hard work, patience and care for the environment.

CERTIFIED IN CONVERSION level B

·         Produce from a farm, which practises to the same standard as level A, but has perhaps only been doing that for a year or two. When you buy these products you are supporting that farmer in the best practise polices whilst assisting them in remaining organic for many years to come.

WHO ARE THE CERTIFIERS? And who audits them?

·         All certified organic and biodynamic produce has been approved by an independent body known as an organic certifier, such as the ACO, AUSQUAL, BDRI, NASAA, , SFQ, TOPS or OFC (see the panel with their logos).

·         Inturn, these certifiers are monitored by an independent auditor from AQIS, the federal government's Quarantine and Inspection Service. Other countries have the right to investigate AQIS's auditing of any certifier and their inspection procedures. (And they have done)

CERTIFIED ORGANIC BIODYNAMIC PROCESSED FOODS, BODY CARE AND FIBRES

·         If a product  is fully certified there is an audit trail from farm to packaging. This includes the growers, transporters, and storage providers manufacturing and processing of all the certified ingredients.

·         A fully certified product contains min 95% certified ingredients (of the remaining  5% none of prohibited ingredients can be used)

·         On the label there should be a certifiers logo and number

·         In conventional foods today there are many additives and colouring used which are prohibited under organic standards.

·         Some fibres can be certified through to a finished garment.  The chemicals added in the treating and dying of an article can be as harmful as those used for spraying  crops.

·         Body and household care products may include certified organic ingredients but if not fully certified check  carefully the other ingredients. Containing some certified ingredients does not presuppose that the other ingredients are pure.

WHY NOT HAVE ONE CERTIFIER OR JUST ONE LOGO?

·         Certifiers are auditors, service providers, although they all uphold the organic standards they may package their services very differently.  Farmers & manufacturers needs are diverse, so they look a certifier that meets their requirements.

Over the next couple of years a mark or symbol will start appearing on certified organic packing alongside the individual certifiers logo to help assure the consumer that what they are buying is certified organic or biodynamic. OFA, the Organic industry Peak Body, is working with Australia's main regulatory agencies to ensure that all products that are making claims to be organic, meet the Australian Organic Standards or international equivalent.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO CHEATS?

·         If certified, produce/ products/ services have been inspected and licensed and are open to inspection and testing. Those not complying are decertified.

·         At the level of misleading claims and labelling, operators have been taken to the ACCC, which is capable of imposing fines or demanding corrective action and public withdrawal of claims or products. By 2008  the industry expects that the the organic & biodynamic standards will be more descriptive as to what can be described as Organic or Biodynamic, so it will not just be packaging but promotions, events, adverts, restaurants, farmers markets, body care products, cleaning and other non-food fabrics & fibres and clothing will have to be able to justify any "organic" claims. 

·          The organic industry peak body the OFA (Organic Federation of Australia) is working with government to protect the Organic industries interests.

·         If you have any questions contact the manufacturer or producer and ask for their certification number.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORGANIC AND FREE-RANGE

Certified organic means:-

·         All `organic' produce is an enhanced form of free-range. 

·         Along with the welfare benefits of free-range are the organic benefits for the environment,

·         Animals & chickens have access to organic pasture & feed. Their diet is organic.

·         They have sympathetic housing conditions.

·         No antibiotics or other synthetics are allowed for use in organic production systems.

·         (There are also certified fish farms.)

 

PRICE

·    Conventional food may appear to be cheaper at the checkout but it has very high, environmental, social and health costs, which are not included in the purchase price.

 

·    Although saving on costly chemicals, it can cost more to grow organically.

E.g. labour costs are usually higher, there are certification fees, and animal welfare & crop rotations can affect productivity ratios.

 

·    Packaged organic food would have to contain artificial additives colouring etc with processes like re-constitution to reduce the food values and cost of ingredients. Rather than be made from real ingredients.

 

HOW DO I KNOW IT IS ORGANIC IF IT HAS BEEN IMPORTED?

·         Around the world there is a diverse range of at least 380 organic & biodynamic certifiers providing auditing and other services for organic growers and manufacturers. The European Union (EU organic standard number), United States (USDA mark) and Japan (JAS) each have government recognised standards protected by legislation and identified with marks/ logos/ numbers that protect the name `organic'. 

·         A good `organic' retailer knows how to help you read the label, so that you can be confident that what you are buying is certified organic. (See www.theorganicsdirectory.com.au for more information)

·         IFOAM International Federation of Agricultural Movements. Works at harmonising the domestic standards to meet international standards-This is the peak representative body for certification suppliers around the world. www.ifoam.org

YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT :-

Every time you buy certified organic and biodynamic products you are letting farmers, processors, retailers (& politicians) know that there is a demand for ecologically supportive- i.e. free of artificial chemicals, preservatives  & additives - products.  Making a difference to the whole community for generations to come. Eat, drink, bath, dress, grow Organics and change the world.

 

 

 

Ecology

Do you consider your health, your family's health and the health of the soil which affects plants and the animals that eat those plants? Are the cattle fed with feed when they could have good fodder and grass? Are they pumped with antibiotics to put on weight? What pollutants does the fish on your plate contain and if it was farmed what did it eat, and how much room did it have to swim? What is truly in the food we are eating? What pollutants are in the products we nourish our skin with? What toxic cocktails are our children exposed to each day?

Environment

Do you think about the waterways? Or how agricultural run-off from intensive spraying could destroy a beautiful coral reef? Do you recycle? Or consider the heavily cleared land and sheep dips filled with chemicals that scar the landscape? Do you care about the destruction of the environment from plastic bags, or how packaging becomes landfill? Perhaps it worries you how many artificial pesticides are used to spray cotton? Consider how many food miles your shopping traveled before you took it home, was it grown in one place, flown to another, manufactured and shipped to yet another, only to return to where it started? Consider how much fuel polluted our air before your groceries were neatly unpacked in your pantry.

Ethics

Was the product you purchased made in a sweatshop, were the workers given fair wages? Did the farmer of the coffee beans in your latte receive a good price? Or consider your superannuation company; what does it invest in? Is it another company that makes big products from exploiting others? Ethics are not just about social justice; they are about moral choices, which affect your, me and our planet. How have the animals been treated? Were hens couped up in little cages, bred and grown to be the perfect size to fit the supermarket shelves, or were they given a wholesome life?

Economy

Are you buying international organics that help support the global growth of organics? What is the true price of cheap food? Does demanding cheaper food really cost the earth and drive small family farms to close? Why do the food artisans, the producers of the fine cheeses, milk, meat and breads on our table earn so little compared to the companies that make "junk food" and have enormous profit margins?

Emotional

How do you feel? How do you feel about what you are buying? Feeling good about what and how you purchase is important. Knowing you have spent your hard earned cash on goods that support health and wellbeing for you, your family and community can transform your day. Buying from stores that share your values and cares can be satisfying.

There is no one answer to the questions above, no one label, not a tick or mark or association that can guarantee, endorse or authenticate. However, there are a number of reliable marks, certification groups and web pages that can guide you.

Check the links on www.theorganicsdirectory.com.au

We learn and educate together, there are no right answers, only the right questions.

- Catriona Macmillan