This week we joined like-minded Organic industry leaders at the Federal inquiry on Organic Food and Beverage manufacturing in Australia, a mission very close to our heart here at NERADA TEA. Australia is the only OECD country that does not have a legislated definition of the word Organic & is lacking regulatory measures, which leads to distrust & confusion for consumers and uncertainty & ambiguity with commercial decisions for industry leaders. A commonsense approach to protect and grow the industry on our shores & progress opportunities in export markets is required and we welcome regulatory reform in this area. We produce over 135 million serves of Certified Organic herbal infusions annually under our Nerada Organics range, placing us as the largest Organic tea manufacturer in Australia. Being Certified Organic requires us to undertake independent annual audits and compliance checks in our business & across the full end-to-end supply chain including sourcing, handling, manufacturing & labelling of our products. When you choose Nerada Organics herbal infusion, you can sit back, sip and relax knowing we have done the hard work already: we deliver on our promise with a Certified Organic product. Try our delicious Chai, winter warming Lemon Ginger or another of our many blends available in store at all major supers, grocers & online.
This week, leading voices from Australia’s certified organic industry told a federal inquiry into food and beverage manufacturing they are being held back by Australia’s world-lagging approach to labelling laws. AOL was joined at the public hearing in Brisbane by Australia’s largest certification body, ACO Certification Limited, as well as representatives from high-profile brands including Barambah Organics, Nerada Tea, Kehoe’s Kitchen, Trumps Organics, Inglewood Farms and Hive + Wellness Australia. AOL Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, told the inquiry Australia was the only nation in the OECD without a legislated definition of the word organic, which has opened the door to misleading claims on labelling from some operators, undercut those who go through the rigorous certification and auditing process, and created costly red tape for certified producers exporting products to Australia’s biggest trading partners. Ms Ford said if Australia had a domestic mandate, it would unlock export markets because trading partners would be open to granting equivalency to Australian-certified products. Currently exporters must seek certification in each market. The organic brand representatives in attendance spoke of the unique pressures this placed on their individual operations, including extensive red tape and missed opportunities for growth. A full media release can viewed here - https://lnkd.in/gkJtC_Va PICTURED, LEFT TO RIGHT: Inglewood Farms Pty Ltd Managing Director Katrina Hobbs, Kehoe's Kitchen Director Katrina Kehoe, NERADA TEA CEO Stewart Le Bon, Hive + Wellness Australia Chief Operations Manager Dr Ben McKee, Barambah Organics CEO Chris Elliott, ACO Certification Ltd CEO Mark Shaw, Trumps Pty Ltd Managing Director Declan Dart, and AOL CEO Niki Ford.