What does 'organic' mean?
Organic food must be certified organic, this means it has been grown or reared according to the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce. To be a certified organic food, the livestock or crops need to be grown or reared without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers, routine antibiotics or growth-promoting drugs. Therefore, the cost of producing this food is higher and farmers often need to use innovative and more intensive practices.
Organic foods do not need to be fancy or expensive. Most of the fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in gardens at home, school kitchens and community gardens are often also organic. If you’re fortunate enough to have access to any home grown fruits or vegetables, they will be in season, have low food miles (maybe 20 metres!) and will not be packaged in plastic, so there are many other health and environmental benefits.