What is organic food?
Organic food refers to agricultural products that are farmed, grown and processed without using fertilisers, pesticides, synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This includes meat, fresh produce and food products like honey, coffee, eggs and dairy, to name a few examples. Organic farming is considered a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way of farming that uses crop rotation, organic manures, hand weeding and biological pest control to grow, and produce food.
How do you know if a product is really organic?
Most organic food products display a symbol, logo, or trademark on their packaging to show that they are certified organic. This stamp of approval is provided by various private bodies (not the Australian Government), which means minimum standards required for certification may vary. This is because there are no mandatory requirements for organic products sold in Australia to be certified in order to be labelled ‘organic’, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). However, many organic businesses and farmers voluntarily choose to become certified by an organic certification body like the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, to support their organic labelling claims and promote consumer confidence. The ACCC states that all organic claims should be able to be substantiated, whether they display an organic tick of approval or not.
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