Soma Organics - Organic Tried & Tested

Soma Organics - Organic tried and tested

Always being on the lookout for yummy organic treats I've recently stumbled across Soma Bite they are bite size pieces with Goji Berry, Chia Seeds, ground almond and Brazil Nuts - 100% certified NASAA Organic and a Australian Company perfect for an afternoon snack at work if you haven't already tried them, keep an eye out in your organic isle at Woolworths or check out their website for more stockist Soma Organics

Benefit of Farmers Markets

With so many lovely weekend markets around, I think you are foolish to not to get out and about for a few hours on a Saturday morning to get your fruit and veggies.

Local farmer markers are a perfect opportunity to buy excellent quality, with many locally grown produce and very affordable prices.

While there are many stalls at the local markets that serve as a reseller, who sell imported and local products, there are many local farmer and producer stalls selling to the public. It is a excellent way to see, talk with and taste what our local farmers and producers have to offer.

Some of the benefits of buying locally include;

• Supporting your local community, local farmers, and local producers.

• Locally produced food does not have to travel as far across the country.

• Food is not factory washed and not sealed in plastic or cardboard packaging, which leads to a fresher product.

• Generally organic fruit and vegetables sold at the markets, come at a cheaper price to the leading name supermarkets. In some cases,  a larger selection of organic products are on sale.

• The food at local farmer markets is usually fresher than supermarket bought. They also seem to remain fresher for a bit longer, when stored correctly at home.

• Variety!! Wondering around some markets, I have had to ask stall holders what certain herbs or vegetables are and how they are cooked as they are new to me. As these stalls are not operating on a quick turnaround method of supplying what the majority is demanding, you can come across some weird and wonderful delights that usually would not be stocked in a supermarket.

• The stall holders are so much happier than the teenage cashiers. They are always more than happy to answer questions, offer cooking or storage advice, and many actually encourage the ‘taste test’ before you buy.

So why not ditch the supermarket, and enjoy the fresh air, colourful sights and start being a farmer’s market weekend warrior.

I would love to hear about your favourite local farmers markets – please share a comment below about your favourite market spots

In Brisbane, my favourite markets so far (I have not managed to get around even half of them yet) include;

Kuraby Markets - Every Saturday 6-12pm kurabymarkets  

 

Beenleigh Markets – Every Sunday 6-12pm - Beenleigh Showground

West End Markets – Every Saturday 6-12 Davies Park - daviesparkmarket

Gold Coast Organic Farmers Market – Every Sunday 6am – 11.30am - gcorganicmarket

Rocklea Markets – Every Saturday 6-12pm –  brisbanemarkets

Made In Australia

I think for the majority of us, when we see labels on products in supermarkets we do not truly understand what they mean. This can be extremely confusing if we are taking steps to be confident consumers wanting to support local Australian farmers and business, as there seems to be a variety of product labelling that claims ‘Product of’, ‘Made in’ and ‘Australian owned’.

Under Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the enforcer and administrator of product and packaging labelling requirements for the country of origin claims which set legal standards in the Competition and Consumers Act 2010 (this has replaced the Trade Practice Act 1974). This includes a list of requirements that must be met before any business can publically list any claims of being a ‘product of Australia’ or ‘made in Australia’.

When business in Australia, do not adhere to the labelling regulation and provide misleading or deceptive information regarding the country of origin, they breach section 29(1)(k) of competition and consumer act 2010, which prohibits misleading conduct of false representation regarding the place of origin of goods.

Country of origin labelling shows the country that the goods where grown, produced, manufactured or packaged. In situations where more than one country of origin occurs, the labelling requirements are to list all countries or to disclose made from a mix of imported and local ingredients.

Country of origin information must be listed on all packaging for packaged goods, but for non-packaged food like fruit, vegetables and unpackaged meat, a sign located near the display area is sufficient. Some unpackaged produce may also have stickers like we see on apples, that state the farm and location grown.

When packaging labels state either of the following ‘A Product of Australia’, ‘Produced in Australia’ or ‘Produce of Australia’ means that all significant ingredients are grown in Australia and that the manufacturing process was performed in Australia. Some fresh produce can also present ‘grown in Australia’ when grown at an Australian farm.

‘Made in Australia’ and ‘Manufactured in Australia’ can be used when at least 50% of the costs of production, have been incurred in Australia. This means that at least half of the production processes are conducted in Australia, but not necessarily with the use of Australian ingredients. An example would be if a jar of jam claims to be made in Australia, the fruit and sugar could be imported, but the jam making and jarring process are conducted in Australia.

Some products have claims saying ‘Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients’, but there is no requirement to give a percentage rate, of what is imported and what is local. Many businesses used this label to cover any additional imports required for Australian seasonal shortages for processing foods. 

 

Company ownership is another confusing label. If a product states 100% Australian owned or ‘Proudly Australian Owned’, this means that the company is an Australian owned company, not that the product or produce was made or grown in Australia. A 100% Australian owned company can have products that are made, solely from imported ingredients or process and packaged overseas, so always check the back ingredients list to see if they disclose more information from where the ingredients come from.