Organic Insights Magazine - Spring 2023

Organic Insights / Spring 2023 / 3

for domestic use, but there is still no domestic regulation today.

The AS6000 can be used by Australian courts and the ACCC, but there is no specific budget outlined for market surveillance, or clear, simple pathway for dealing with fraud. Australia urgently needs domestic regulation for organic, to achieve better control of “organic” claims. Businesses in Australia can currently use the wording “organic” and brand their products as such, but without an independent certification body to inspect and monitor business practices, non-compliant use of herbicides and fungicides could have been used. The National Standard controls use of the words ‘organic’, ‘biodynamic’, or words of similar intent’, and for this reason, if adopted in Australia, it would restrict the use of these words, leading consumers to look for labelling with “certified organic” and a mark to verify the integrity of the product. If an organic certification mark is not branded on a product, it is “buyer beware” as it may not be truly organic. NASAA Organic takes the issues of misleading labelling and marketing seriously in both domestic and international contexts and have become the first ANTI FRAUD Organic Trade Association Supporting Partner outside of USA and EU. We are committed to supporting organic certified operations and future certified operations in complying to the new USDA SOE requirements. Further Information organicseurope.bio/content/uploads/2022/09/ IFOAMEU_policy_position-paper_sustainability- labelling_202209.pdf?dd organicseurope.bio/news/eu-organic-movement- warns-against-greenwashing/ organicseurope.bio/content/uploads/2022/09/ IFOAMEU_policy_position-paper_sustainability- labelling_202209.pdf?dd foodingredientsfirst.com/news/green-labeling- dispute-boils-over-as-ifoam-takes-legal-action-against- misleading-and-unfair-eco-score.html Findings of the ACCC’s internet sweep of environmental claims can be found here: accc.gov.au/system/files/Greenwashing%20by%20 businesses%20in%20Australia.pdf

TimMarshall NASAA Chair