At the end of yesterday's post, I made reference to the 2008 Organic Expo being held in Sydney this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre.
If you have any interest in this industry, or the associated Green Show that is being run at the same time, I thoroughly suggest you go. Further details about the exhibitors, opening hours, parking and the like can be found here.
An annual event, the Organic Expo the leading marketing exhibition for the organics sector, and features producers, processors, distributors and marketers. It is certainly the place to be to find out how well the industry is fairing in the wider marketplace.
This year's Expo will see the release of a long awaited benchmark report, the Australian Organic Market Report 2008.
Commissioned by the Biological Farmers of Australia, the report's statistics were independently gathered by the University of New England's Organic Research Group, and contain the first official Australian organic data in four years. The findings are based on industry-wide survey data and build upon research published by the Federal Department of Agriculture in 2004.
The report has been released to the wider media ahead of today's launch. Some of the highlights include:
Women are warming to organic food but men are less convinced, and women are the primary purchasers.
Organic food sales - especially fruit and vegetables - now top AU$600 million a year.
The report found shoppers are tempted to buy organic food for health and environmental reasons, and because they think it tastes better.
Organic food looks better than it used to, boosting sales.
Forty per cent of consumers now buy organic food on occasions, and organic food has become more mainstream in recent years.
Farmgate value has risen 80 per cent during the past four years and were estimated to be in excess of AU$230 million in 2007.
Australia has more land - almost 12 million hectares - set aside for organic farming than any other country in the world.
Imported organic foods are increasingly meeting surging demand in Australia.
Two key findings that are of particular interest to us are that some of the organic sectors reported between 10% and 30% growth per annum since the last report in 2004, and that horticulture remains the mainstay of the organics sector, with two thirds of its farmers growing fresh produce which accounts for almost 50% of the total organic farmgate value.
BFA director and standards chair, Dr Andrew Monk, says the Australian Organic Market Report 2008 will assist in industry monitoring and planning.
"The Australian Organic Market Report 2008 will serve as a key tool for decision making for potential and existing organic producers and marketers, while offering reference points for government, media and interested parties, allowing for a better understanding overall of the nature, size and structure of the organic industry in Australia," Dr Monk said.
"While most agriculture has suffered in recent years from drought and floods, many sectors of the organic industry have recovered to be able to consolidate and expand," Dr Monk said.
"Such rapid growth is likely to be attributed to a combination of consumer driven interest in purchasing organic products in line with overseas trends, as well as possibly the naturally more resilient nature of organically well-managed soils, enabling faster recovery following extreme dry or wet weather periods alike."
We'll have our own copy of the report early next week as members of the Biological Farmers of Australia, so expect a few more gems to be shared in the immediate future.
Another report that I came across this week examined the attitudes and behaviour relevant to restaurant services for three generational segments: Baby Boomers (age 43 to 62); Generation X (age 32 to 42); and Millennial's (age 16 to 31). Titled the Generational Consumer Trend Report, the key finding that caught my eye was:
Millennial's are the largest users of natural and organic foods, whereas Baby Boomers are more likely to believe in balanced meals, consumption of fruits and vegetables and avoidance of fats.
It's good to see this sector receiving recognition and column inch space, and being able to back the claims up with solid research.
Oh, and make your way to the Organics Expo before the end of this weekend to see what all the fuss is about!!
Sources:
Sydney Morning Herald http://tinyurl.com/6f9sfy
The Land http://tinyurl.com/6grugb
Chain Leader http://tinyurl.com/5rhsbz
Photo credit: bern@t
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