Eating organic food is not so much a fad as a way of life in Australia.
From a nation that prides itself on fitness, Australians are 'fair dinkum' about organic produce. Down Under, the word 'organic' is not an advertising catchphrase; it refers to produce and products that are certified to Australian Organic Standards: chemical-free, made by ecologically sustainable practices and not genetically modified.
As the island continent covers a range of climates — from tropical to temperate — and soil types, there's naturally great diversity in organic produce. From mangoes in northern Australia to dairy products in Tasmania, the options are endless.
With health a high-priority for sports-mad Aussies, there's a domestic demand for organic produce, which is developing into a major export industry. Australian organic produce can be found in Dubai at retailers such as The Body Shop, Organic Foods & Café and Union Cooperative. In fact, organic food is one of the country's fastest growing food sectors according to the Organic Federation of Australia. And there is celeb support too. Supermodel Elle McPherson and actress Naomi Watts are two prominent Australians who buy organic produce.
Home delivery
Melbourne-based interior designer and advocate of eco-friendly living Caecillia Potter has been getting home-delivered organic groceries for over a decade. "We buy organic food from a local organic greengrocer/cafe called Sprout. But there are heaps of organic fresh delivery services in Australia and they're all on the Web; you just log-on and order," she says, adding that the Organic Choice website (www.organicchoice.com.au) is one popular portal.
"The standards are high in Australia; a lot of cafés serve organic food and nearly all grocery stores have organic sections. In fact, my husband and I find it difficult to get the same range when we're overseas.
"Like many people here, we grow our own organic heritage seed vegetables and fruit. Currently we have snowpeas, lazy housewife beans, broad beans, spinach, 10 different kinds of lettuce, lots of herbs, artichoke and capsicum."
Produce that's certainly organic is Australian bushtucker ('tucker' means food): indigenous plants that the aboriginals originally subsisted on and that are enjoyed by the general Australian population now. These include Warrigal greens, candlenuts, lili-pilli, bunya nuts, lemon myrtle and bungwall fern.
David Snell, a Sydney permaculture expert, explains that organic indigenous food became popular in the early 1990s. "I have collected organic bushtucker for companies that distribute organic indigenous produce to airlines, hotels and restaurants around the world," he says via e-mail. "In a way, it's the only food that's genuinely Australian. And because these plants are native, they have no negative impact on the ecosystem and therefore are the most ecologically sensitive crop."
Organic livestock
But you needn't be restricted to munching on Warrigal greens. There's excellent organic beef, lamb and other meat in Australia as well besides dairy options. Certified organic livestock is reared without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. Organic farming caters to the behavioural needs of livestock as well as to animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing and health. One company, Organic Beef Exporters (OBE), is believed to be the largest organic beef company in the world. OBE's properties cover more than 7 million hectares of inland Australia. Cattle graze on pastures where there has never been any need for chemicals, due to the isolation and the absence of pests. According to the Australian Organic Consumer Survey, the most popular Australian organic brands are in the food sector: Pure Harvest (which produces Oat Milk, Rice Milk and Aussie Soy, all available in Dubai) and BioNature (which produces pasta, oil and pasta sauces).
Organic skin care, hair and cosmetic products are also popular. One Australian internet-based business that provides chemical-free products is www.organicaustralia.com. Another globally popular brand is the Jurlique skin care range.
Started by a naturopath and a horticulturalist, Jurlique's products are made using the plant-based principles of herbalism, aromatherapy, alchemy and homeopathy. With ingredients sourced from two organic herb farms in South Australia, Jurlique is available in more than 15 countries and can be ordered online.
"The natural cosmetics industry has also boomed in the past decade," says Potter. "People are becoming more concerned about the environment and have started to raise questions about the risks of chemical-based products." There are even niche businesses such as Melbourne's Down to Earth Baby (www.downtoearthbaby.com), which has a range of organic, fair-trade and eco-friendly products for pregnant women and babies.
Yet, the organic movement is more than just products. There are also community-based initiatives in organic farming and eco-friendly living. CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) is such a project in inner-city Melbourne. Its 4-hectare site has displays on a range of environmental issues to illustrate what can be achieved at household, community and global levels.
Projects include an organic café, organic community gardens, permaculture gardens, wind and solar power generation systems, animal farm, bushtucker nursery, household compost systems and a worm farm that recycles organic waste.
"What projects such as CERES show is that there's a social dimension to organic produce and eco-friendly living. If you can create a space like that in the middle of a city, you can achieve this anywhere," says Potter.
