regulation of organic industry

[eve]

An investigation in the UK has uncovered widespread fraud in the organics industry. Trading standards officers found both farmers and retailers were passing off food as organic without accreditation, and have already prosecuted two traders.

Organic producers say the same thing could happen here without better controls over domestic organics. In Australia, only organic food for export must be certified.

Clare Hughes from the Consumers Association says Food Standards Australia New Zealand should regulate the industry. "We are rather concerned that there is just no protection for consumers as far as whether or not the money that they're spending (and let's face it often they're spending more to buy the organic produce) on the organic produce is actually going towards something that is organic," she said. "We'd like to see a code established and even addressing the use of organic in labelling within the food standards code."

[adam antichrist]

Oh great. I have now just lost all trust in supermarket products I have been buying.

Coles organic soups seem to have been pulled from the shelves, mustn't have made as much money as they hoped

[abrennan]

Yeah that's a terrible thing, it';s bad enough having to trust them anyway but now knowing that some of they ARE actively trying to diddle us, bloody hell. Makes you want to cry organic tears

I've been buying organic veggies at a new outdoor market near my place. Most have signs and stuff claiming accreditation for the producers. I bought heaps of apples and I was looking at them when I got em home. Except that the same people are there every week you coukd easily get a bit paranoid about it. I figure if they were there everyweek they would be above board or they're increasing their chance of getting caught.

Well that's the theory I'm working on

antony

[Roxy]

That's really scary Eve!