One of Australia's major organic certifiers, Australian Organic, has launched a new campaign fronted by celebrity chef and Australian Organic Ambassador Pete Evans.
Australian Organic said the campaign aims to educate Australians about "how to purchase 100 per cent honest organic products, and what certified organic really means".
The 'One Logo Says It All' campaign shows Australians what to look for when purchasing organic products to "ensure they can be confident in their choices", according to Australian Organic.
"The recognisable Australian Certified Organic logo appears on any product that our independent certification agency has deemed certified organic," said Dr Andrew Monk, Chairman of Australian Organic. "This is the consumer's 100 per cent guarantee that the item they have purchased, whether it is food or wine, textiles or even makeup, was produced and created from the source with the health and welfare of people, animals and the environment in mind," he said.
The Australian Certified Organic certification program was set up in the late 1980s. Australian Organic said the program stemmed from the lack of legislation recognising the term 'organic' and "a need to distinguish true organic products". Over the last few decades this certification has grown, and Australian Organic said it now appears on "the majority of organic products seen on shelves today".
Australian Organic said that in recent years consumers had become "increasingly more aware" of the items they purchase and the food they eat, "consciously searching for products that are cruelty-free, free-range and hormone- and GM-free". It said that buying products carrying the Australian Certified Organic logo "saves consumers time at the store and guarantees the product to be free-range, GM-free, pasture-fed, water efficient and biodiversity-friendly, as well as grown free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides, hormones and antibiotics".
"Interest and popularity in organic products grows every year and it is more important than eveer that we play an active role in protecting all Australians by ensuring they know how to trust that they are buying bona fide certified organic products," Dr Monk said. "Australian Certified Organic routinely and randomly audits businesses that use its logo and tests products in the marketplace," he said.
Trust an ongoing issue for organic sector
Trusting the 'organic' label has been an ongoing issue for the sector. Australian Food News reported in April 2013 that market research had found that in the US, more than half of consumers did not trust the 'organic' label. In Australia, nearly half of consumers reported that trust was a major barrier to purchasing organic.
At the time, Dr Monk told Australian Food News that some of the issues around trust were showing some signs of being solved by the industry. Research from market research organisation the Mobius Group showed that 53 per cent of respondents in 2012 knew that certification marks or logos used on labels guaranteed that a product was organic, up from 42 per cent in 2010.
