A recent report by the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) has suggested that organic foods are more nutritious just a month after a UK report argued there was currently little evidence to indicate that organic food had additional health benefits compared to conventionally produced food. Shane Heaton, Nutritionist for the Biological Farmers of Australia, said the French research was a thorough and critical evaluation of the nutritional quality of organic food, and has found organic foods have higher... ...Read more »

The growth of Australia’s burgeoning organic food sector has stagnated this year, according to some of the country’s leading players. Australian sales of organic products rose dramatically between 2004 and 2007, reaching around $600 million on growth of up to 30% per annum for some sectors. Farm-gate sales soared 80 per cent in the same period. However, despite reports of resilience just a few months ago, there are concerns that this year will see flat growth – a far cry from previous... ...Read more »

The European Union is looking into possible ways to improve communication about the qualities of agricultural products and reconnect farmers with consumers. The region is also trying to enhance food quality labelling schemes to make it easier for people to use and understand. “The EU’s agri-food sector has a well-deserved reputation for high quality thanks to decades, even centuries, of commitment to excellence,” said Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural... ...Read more »

Woolworths is looking for a swift expansion of their Thomas Dux upmarket grocery chain with Wednesday’s purchase of Macro Wholefoods but will the competition regulator block it? A deal was struck by Woolworths with Macro this week which will see the supermarket chain’s Thomas Dux subsidiary takeover eight stores, one development site and Macro’s organic private label brand. The price of the acquisition was not revealed by Woolworths but that hasn’t stopped speculation from... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest supermarket chain will continue the rollout of their upmarket Thomas Dux Grocer outlets, after announcing the purchase of up to nine store leases from Macro Wholefoods in NSW and Victoria. The deal also includes the purchase of Macro’s organic private label brand. Woolworths launched Thomas Dux, an upmarket grocery store, in April last year and currently operates two stores in Sydney -  Paddington and Lane Cove. The arrangement* will see the eight existing Macro stores... ...Read more »

American sales of organic products, both food and non-food, reached US$24.6 billion (A$32.8b) by the end of 2008, soaring 17.1 per cent over 2007 sales despite tough economic times, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA). While the overall economy went backwards, sales of organic products reaped strong growth during 2008. “Organic products represent value to consumers, who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,” Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive... ...Read more »

Figures released by the UK’s Soil Association have discovered the value of the organic market has risen by 1.7% to £2.1bn (A$4.35b) in 2008 in the UK. Although the rise is below the rate of food inflation and represents a fall in volume, it shows that the organic market has slowed rather than collapsed. “The proportion of shoppers telling us that they look for organic food has fallen from 24% last year to 19% this year – but this is still higher than at any time before 2008,”... ...Read more »

A Biosecurity Australia (BA) decision in early March recommending that Cavendish bananas from the Philippines be allowed to enter Australia continues to draw a worried reaction from many stakeholders concerned with protecting a major Australian industry. The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) and Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) have come out strongly in opposition to the move. Banana farmers, workers and local business people will hold a demonstration in Cairns; the IGA chain of... ...Read more »

The organic sector’s peak body has said that sales of organic produce have continued to rise despite the gloomy economic outlook, which threatens the strong growth the sector has recorded in recent years. “Organic sales continue to increase because consumers are buying more organic products for home consumption rather than spending on more expensive items such as cars and TVs,” Andre Leu, Chair of the Organic Federation Australia, stated. “Market information from Australia,... ...Read more »

Being more innovative than most has paid off for three Australian organic companies, whose creative approach to business sees them looking forward to a prosperous 2009 despite the economic turmoil. The recent opening of Z Mills in SE Queensland was a giant step for organic flour milling. Protection from light, reducing the temperature to 4◦Celsius or lower and using nitrogen to exclude oxygen from the milling process means that the enzyme reactions that cause rancidity in flour are virtually eradicated. In... ...Read more »