Organic sector moves to standard of proof
Consumers will soon be able to buy organic produce with more confidence following Government moves to introduce a national standard for organic production.
Widespread abuse of the term ‘‘organic’’ meant consumers were sometimes unwittingly eating food tainted by chemicals, the organic sector said.
Agriculture and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor said a national standard would be progressed as a Government bill next year.
‘‘A national standard gives consumers confidence in organic claims and businesses certainty to invest and innovate in the growing sector. It’ll also help grow our organic export trade,’’ O’Connor said.
New Zealand and Australia were the only top 25 organic markets in the world that had voluntary instead of mandatory standards.
‘‘The global demand for organic products is increasing and our organic sector has responded with growth of 30 per cent over the past couple of years and is now worth about $600 million a year,’’ O’Connor said.
Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said consumers were paying a premium for organic products without any guarantee.
‘‘Organic products are becoming increasingly popular. Our survey research has found 65 per cent of consumers buy organic products at least some of the time,’’ Wilson said.
‘‘Consumers often pay a premium for goods marketed as organic. But in the absence of clear labelling rules, it’s difficult for shoppers to know whether they are getting a genuine product.’’
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand chairman Doug Voss said the standard should be operational by the end of 2019.
‘‘Under the new regime, consumers can have confidence that if a product is called organic it has to be certified and comply with the national standard.’’
The two biggest organic certifiers, BioGro and AsureQuality, had agreed to move from their private standards into the national standard.
New Zealand exporters compete in big markets in the United States and Europe where rival producers can point to their own certification.
The move to a national standard in the US about 12 years ago had resulted in a significant boost to organic production, said Voss, who is an organic kiwifruit grower.
A market report released by Organics Aotearoa NZ earlier this year showed that retail sales of organic products were growing twice as fast as sales of conventional products, up 8.8 per cent to $245m.