Whether you are an avid organic product supporter or have just jumped on the health trend, knowing the true organic status of your products and produce is truly important.
A recent report published by Australian Organic, the peak body for organic standardisation, indicates that Australian companies can list their products as “organic” when only 2% of ingredients are actually organic. For most of us, 2% is just not good enough if you’re trying to embrace an organic lifestyle.
In celebration of Organic Awareness Month during the month of September we connected with Richard Angove, Joint Managing Director of Angove Family Winemakers, Australia’s leading and largest Certified Organic winemakers to help us understand if our products are truly organic.
Richard shares 5 ways to identify whether what you are adding to your shopping basket is truly organic or not:
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Look for a certification label
First look for the Certified Organicsymbol, like the Australian Ceritifed Organic’s bud logo and the corresponding certification number. This ensures the wine or product you are selecting has been properly accredited and is not merely trading on organic branding.
Certified Organic products need to go through a rigorous accreditation process and are audited each year to ensure compliance t a strict organic protocol.. To have a vineyard certified organic takes three years, whereafter wineries are allowed to label their wines as Certified Organic. Other agricultural industries have similar timeframes.
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Vegan wines are organic
In traditional winemaking processes, fining agents including egg whites and milk are often used to remove protein, yeast and cloudiness. However, Angove’s Certified Organic Wines don’t use any animal products or by-products when crafting their wine, making it truly vegan-friendly.
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Identify the origins
Although Aussie guidelines for using the word organic in branding are more relaxed compared to other countries, products that are Certified Organic are closely monitored and strictly assessed. With any Australian Certified Organic claims, you can be rest assured that they are accurate and factual.
Stay on the safe side and shop certified Australian brands.
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It should be free of synthetic chemical intervention
When buying organic, we automatically assume that this is a promise that our product will be free of synthetic chemical herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. However, some labels may be mis-leading consumers and if you truly want to make sure what you are consuming is genuinely organic, it is advisable to turn to the fine print on the label and look for the certification mark from a registered certifier , including the “bud logo” from Australian Certified Organic
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When in doubt, do your research
Staring at a wide range of wines and on shelf products can be confusing. With different brands highlighting their wine’s organic credibility in different ways, it can be difficult to understand what is truly organic or not at first glance. Thankfully, we live in a hyperconnected world with information literally at our fingertips that will point you in the right direction with a swift google search.
So how does Angove ensure that their wines are of the highest certified organic status? Richard explains that they have been paving the way in certified organic winemaking for the past 15 years, always investigating the most current organic viticultural farming techniques. However, the Angove family have developed a process called Vinguard which consists of a colony of honeybees, a posse of Indian runner ducks, an invisible night patrol of microbats and fragrant organic roses to protect the vineyards from dangerous insects and snails and promote a healthy ecosystem the natural way.
Now you can celebrate Organic Awareness Month with your truly organic wine.
To learn more about Angove’s Certified Organic range, click here: https://angove.com.au/world/why-buy-organic-wines
