December 10, 2014 Sophie Langley

Australias appetite for organic foods at record levels

New categories in the organic sector in Australia have driven record growth in the $1.72 billion industry, according to a biennial industry report from organic certifying group Australian Organic.

The Australian Organic Market Report is a biennial publication commissioned by Australian Organic that track trends in the Australian organic marketplace. This years Report incorporates independent research by Swinburne University of Technology, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Mobium Group.

The organic industry is now valued at over $1.72 billion, representing a 15.4 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2009. Australian Organic said the growth demonstrated that consumption of certified organic food, cosmetics and household products was at a record high in Australia.

The report found that Australia still has the largest area of organic land in the world (22 million hectares). There had been a 53 per cent increase in fully certified organic land area between 2011 and 2014. Australian organic production (farm-gate) value is $508 million, up 18 per cent since 2012.

Growth drivers

Availability of organics in major supermarkets and new independent organic retailers was in part responsible for this growth, according to Australian Organic.

However, an extremely strong export market was also supporting existing farmers and producers as well as encouraging new entrants into the organic arena. Exports of organic products have more than doubled from 2012 to 2014 with the organic export market now worth $350 million.

Growth sectors

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Australias appetite for organic foods at record levels

NW, Washington DC, U.S (PRWEB) December 09, 2014

American entrepreneurs, Nadia Robinson and Louis Bookoff have started a groundbreaking initiative with the distribution of healthy, organic food from their social business, Locals Aquaponics Farm.

Sustainable aquaponics growing system to supply affordable organic food.

Locals allow for everyone to be able to eat organic produce regardless or income or location, and allow for cities to grow smart. Their mission is helping local communities.

The venture combines sensors with technology in a vertical aquaponics growing system to supply a sustainable source of organic produce. The project started on a small scale after years of research and development to meet the growing demand for organic produce that is affordable for the consumer and grown in a transparent and social responsible manner.

This business grew out of a desire to preserve and protect the environment for this and future generations. Researchers and engineers who examined this project have agreed this is a groundbreaking initiative that will lead to help a large number of consumers lead healthier lives.

"Having access to organic food is the best way for them to avoid the supplements and synthetic items like food coloring, preservatives and chemical additives which damage the immune system and cause serious health problems every year, says Mrs. Robinson, CEO of Locals.

A fundraising campaign was recently launched on the crowd funding site, Indiegogo, to raise money to start development and production of organic food and take the company to the next level. The business partners have invested thousands of dollars in the last five years to set up the small scale aquaponics farm and are now ready to take the venture commercial.

With the high-quality organic food produced, the company aims to significantly reduce the cost to the consumer and provide affordable alternatives for them to live healthier lives.

About the owners Nadia Robinson has played vital roles in launching three start-ups prior to Locals. She has degrees in Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, and has multiple years of greenhouse experience as well as other growing experience. Louis Bookoff is currently majoring in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and Accounting at the Whitman School of Management. He has a passion for food and has led various marketing campaigns for restaurants and a startup company.

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Media Mails Inc Announces: New initiative will lead to supply affordable organic food

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - An all organic produce and grocery store is opening soon in Lufkin. The community will have access to an array of chemical-free fruits and veggies at an affordable price.

"The Organic Store" will hang the open sign on their front door next week. Inside, the shelves will be stocked full of fruits, vegetables, spices, supplements and more.

"Anything that is organic but predominately produce and grocery," said The Organic Store owner, Lynda Smith. "USDA certified organic means that there has not been any pesticides in that soil for 10 years."

Smith started eating organic several years ago after struggling with weight and health problems.

"[I] started looking into it myself and started a co-op," Smith said. The co-op grew and expanded into The Organic Store on N. John Redditt near Lotus Lane in between Red Ball Oxygen and West Side Garage.

Everything will be certified-organic and non-GMO. No natural foods.

Smith said eating organic food has changed her life.

"Since I have been eating organic I haven't been sick in a couple years," Smith said.

And she wants to pass on the organic lifestyle to others.

"I mean it's a business but it is about the people and about the product and providing something to the people that they don't really realize is an option and then there are people that know about it but didn't have any access to it," Smith said.

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Organic produce and grocery store opening soon in Lufkin

If Taka Yamaguchi has his way, athletes competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be eating organic an ambitious plan that more than 100 of Japan's top grocery retailers, food importers and distributors learned about at a recent Organic Trade Association (OTA) sponsored seminar in Japan.

Yamaguchi, executive officer of Organic Japan, was part of a roster of agricultural, organic and food industry experts and policy officials taking part in two capacity-filled OTA programs that brought industry and government leaders together in Tokyo and Osaka to learn about the range and quality of U.S. organic products, get up to speed on a bilateral trade deal that will help feed Japan's growing appetite for organic, and sample organic treats of grilled cheese sandwiches, vegetable burritos, ginger lemonade, and more.

With a grant for $784,902 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Market Access Program (MAP) to promote U.S. organic products abroad in 2015, OTA is gearing up a far-reaching strategy for next year that will include more organic promotional and education programs in Japan and around the globe.

OTA will be showcasing the American organic brand in the largest food shows in the world, conducting international seminars on organic regulatory issues, hosting trade missions to connect foreign buyers and domestic suppliers, helping retailers in the world's biggest markets sell the value of organic, and continuing to assist U.S. organic exporters with OTA's online U.S. Organic Export Directory and its Global Organic Trade Guide.

"Exports are increasingly important to U.S. producers and handlers. The organic industry is invested in building the relationships and U.S. organic brand awareness required for long-term export growth," said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of OTA. "The industry is poised to fully utilize the much-welcomed grant assistance from USDA provided through its Market Access Program."

So it's back to Japan for OTA in November of 2015, where OTA will conduct targeted promotion of organic products to consumers, and continue to build relationships with retailers and visionaries like Taka Yamaguchi.

And beyond Japan, OTA will be busy:

In Nuremburg, Germany, OTA will lead a contingent of more than a dozen U.S. organic suppliers attending the BioFach World Organic Trade Fair, the world's leading organic food trade show. OTA will showcase U.S. organic products in its large space within the USA Pavilion, and will lead a session while there on the important U.S.-EU organic equivalency arrangement.

In Seoul, South Korea, for the first time ever, OTA will participate in the Seoul Food and Beverage show. South Korea and the U.S. signed an organic equivalency arrangement in July, and demand for organic in the prosperous Asian country has never been higher.

In Cologne, Germany, OTA and representatives of the U.S. organic industry will have a highly visible presence at the preeminent Anuga food show, the largest food show in the world. More than 150,000 buyers from almost 200 countries attend the huge industry show, making it one of the most criticaland potentially profitableshows for the U.S. organic industry to attend.

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USDA Awards OTA With $785K to Promote Organic Products