So what do people think organic actually means?

The basic concept behind organic food is that it has been grown and handled without the use of chemicals. The resulting produce is often different to that which has been involved with fertilisers, pesticides and other chemicals.

There are many that say that organic food tastes better and is much better for you. Others believe that it goes off more quickly than chemical contact produce.

In Australia a business needs to meet specific requirements to be able to claim that it’s food is organic, and only when this is confirmed, can it label it’s products with the recognized organic logo. Our industry is self regulated with strong consumer protection through the Trade Practices Act. The US has a different situation, where the organic industry is regulated and has legislative requirements.

Everyone who goes shopping would know that organic food is more expensive than produce that has had contact with chemicals. This is a distinct inhibitor to sales generally. The industry says that the reason the price is higher is to allow for the higher losses with organic produce as well as other reasons.

Organic food is recognized as being better for the environment and this is increasingly a reason cited for it’s purchase.

However, even though a recent poll in the US shows that people are buying organic in part because of it’s better environmental impact, at least half of the respondents believed that labelling as organic is just an excuse to charge higher prices.

This means that, based on the results of this poll, at least half of Americans probably believe that food labelled organic is actually not organic, just labelled that way to make more money.

Mike de Vere, President of the Harris Poll said; “What surprised us most was that while Americans are showing more concern for the environment, they aren’t necessarily willing to pay more to do anything about it. While Americans feel better about the economy, many are wary of the ‘greenwashing’ concept that gives companies a chance to cash in on consumers who want to help the planet but are confused by all the eco-friendly jargon.”

Even though when asked most Australians say that the main reason for not buying organic food, there is still in many people a cynicism to the organic labelling. However, the poll in the US and recent research in Australia have shown that there is an increasing trust in the recognized organic logo.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.