Organic Food in Australia is Going Mainstream

from The Meeting Ground January Newsletter

Organic production is now the world’s fastest-growing food sector and Australia is following a boom that is transforming the way people eat all over the world. Global organic production is expanding at the rate of 10 - 15 percent a year, making it clearly the fastest growing food sector. Here in Australia, growth projections for the organic industry are 20 - 30 percent per annum. In the past five years, the organic industry in Australia has grown in leaps and bounds, with organic farming and retailing in Australia shifting from a fringe-dwelling niche market to relatively mainstream. This growth has occurred without any government agencies beating the drum for organics; it has purely been a grassroots movement driven by consumer demand. Australia has only a small share of the global organics market, and this leaves a huge amount of untapped growth and potential. Further to this, the number of certified organic operators in Australia has been growing at a rate of approximately 70 percent a year over the past five years. In particular, between 2000 and 2003, the number grew approximately 200 percent from 850 to 2500. The Organic Federation of Australia predicts total retail sales of organic produce and groceries here will reach $1 billion by 2007.

These days, there is an organic shop (or café) in almost every suburb, and many bigger supermarket companies want a slice of the action. But for organics, is big necessarily better? Some supporters of organic food may say the more the merrier - everyone should be eating a largely organic diet. The other side of the argument is that by producing organic food that is sold to large scale supermarkets across the country we are just mimicking the conventional un-sustainable food system that we currently have. Our current food distribution system is broken; the distance travelled from the farm to the mouth of consumers is often 1000s of kilometres. This is one of the many reasons for the present strong organic movement that has been driven to date by consumers. However, we are in danger of losing this important aspect of the organic movement due to the entry of large corporate players such as Coles and Woolworths. There are advantages that come with this: the price of organic produce falls, and awareness and consumption of organics increases greatly. Furthermore, without the support of large national supermarket chains, organics will never develop the political clout needed to shift government policy on food production in the direction of sustainability. The distribution of organics in major supermarkets is a world wide trend - three-quarters of organic food in Britain is sold through major supermarkets, and in the US the figure is about 50 percent.

However, we must not allow the organic food structure to mimic that of the traditional conventional food system. Supermarket organics may allow shoppers to assume they can eat healthier and greener without changing, or inconveniencing, their consumer lifestyle. This is not entirely true and many people who buy organic are aware of this important fact. People who shop organically are typically more conscious of other crucial issues, such as supporting their community. They realise that buying locally grown organic produce from places such as local organic farmers’ markets, wherever possible, means farmers in their community get more of the food dollar; they get better nutrition, and much less fuel is consumed in transport.

The challenge we face is how to expand the commercial success of organics without compromising the values that gave it birth, and how to continue to advocate for a more sustainable and democratic food system overall. The power of our consumer choice can drive environmental change. Whether it’s locally grown organic food, a piece of paper, or the car you drive, the consumer has the power to choose an ethical and a sustainable option.

It is great to see that organics is going mainstream, but the consumers that are truly committed to organics are driven by more than just price and convenience; it’s about supporting their local community. Some evidence of this is our local Miami Organic Market that accommodates over Market2000 Gold Coast organic shoppers every Sunday morning. If people can do the right thing once a day with one of their food votes, that’s plenty, and that will be enough to build a sustainable alternative food system.

From The Meeting Ground Organic Café & Deli January 2007 Newsletter