Organic market grows

Fads have an expiry date, but the fascination with organic goods has survived beyond a trend.

Rather than following the typical boom-bust cycle, organic produce has been elevated to alifestyle choice as people become carbon footprint conscious.

But what is organic produce? And when are you a victim of greenwashing?

With the rise in popularity of organic living, "greenwashing" has become rampant.

Words like green, organic, recycled, eco-friendly and natural have been used by some marketers to mislead consumers about companies' practices.

But there are authentic organic products that go through a strenuous process before they are approved as organic.

Africa's Farms Certified Organic is the only accredited South African certifier of organic produce.

They share the market with 11 foreign certifiers operating in South Africa.

Afrisco managing director Diana Callear says the organic process starts with the soil.

''We ask the farmers not to use chemicals and pesticide. Only soil that is tops allows plants to survive pests and disease," says Callear.

She says inspectors check the farms to ensure that they are using good water, that there is no pollution, that the process is hygienic and that workers understand organic farming principles.

''Training for farm workers is essential. Seeds should not be treated. The soil needs to be tested. The harvesting and transport also need to be organic-certified," says Callear.

Founder and director of Bean There Coffee Co, Jonathan Robinson, says his company is registered with Afrisco and he follows various checks and balances to ensure that his organic products are certified.

''We buy our coffee from certified farmers. Even our transport methods must be certified," he says.

''Everything organic [in our store] is separate from our conventional stuff. We have different canisters and bins to make sure they don't mix."

The process of getting organic products approved can run into thousands of rands.

''I get irritated when I walk into a supermarket and see products that aren't organic that have 'organic' slapped on them," says Robinson.

''They've bought organic coffees - there's no question about that - but the process isn't organic in its entirety."

Pick n Pay's general manager for corporate brands Cindy Jenks says before products are listed in its stores, buyers will ensure that the products carry certification logos.

Jenks says Pick n Pay is aware of the environmental implications of over-packaging .

The retailer has begun to convert cardboard sleeves to paper labels, says Jenks.

Robinson says the regulation of organic products is flawed.

''It's not policed well - consumers see organic and they just believe it," he says.

In South Africa there is no legislation that controls organic production.

''It's important to see who is certifying the product and the certification number," says Robinson.

Callear says: ''If you see natural or any of those other derivatives on a product, you should be suspicious."

Ensuring the certification of all products that claim to be organic is idealistic, but Callear says there is one exception - products linked to the Participatory Guarantee Scheme.

PGS is a government initiative working towards getting small-scale farmers who can't afford certification access into the organic market.

When PGS inspectors are sent to the farms, they are not as stringent as assessors from independent certifying bodies because the farmers' lack of resources is taken into account, says Callear.

Robinson explains how the PGS works: ''We have one organic coffee in store. We call the others passive-organic.

"These coffees follow the same process - farmers who don't use fertilisers and pesticides."

''They are organic by the nature in which they farm.

"They don't have the resources and end up being organic by default, but they're not certified."