Macro Wholefoods Fair Trade Organic Coffee Pods - Organic tried and tested

Macro Wholefoods Fair Trade Organic Coffee Pods - Organic tried and tested


 Woolworth's Macro Wholefoods Market range now includes NASAA Certified Organic Espresso Fair Trade Coffee Capsules. Being a lover of my coffee pod machine, I’m so happy that I can now indulge in freshly brewed café lattes at home whilst being a conscious consumer.

The capsule strength is medium, but as a strong coffee drinker it still had enough kick to satisfy.

Its a small change to make, swap your regular coffee pods for the fair trade option and I'm sure with greater demand a greater organic fair trade range will start to appear on the supermarket shelf.

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

Product Labelling - Date Marks

To get the most out of our shopping dollars, it is handy to understand date marking. This can allow us to better understand when products are safe to eat and also at their best quality and nutritional value.

Product labelling requires the packaging of products to display a date mark. Date marking gives consumers and retailers an indication of the freshness of a product and when best to be consumed.

There is no requirement for any package food with a shelf life of more than 2 years to have a date mark. This could include any canned foods such as canned soups, canned vegetables and other cured or preserved foods. Some manufactures can still provide the best before date, so that consumers know when the product will still be expected to be consumed at its top quality.

Bread can have a ‘baked on” date, or a ‘baked for” date, instead of the best before date, as the shelf life of bread is considered to be less than 7 days in most cases.

Use-By Date
It is illegal in Australia to sell any product that has reached its use-by date. These products need to be eaten or thrown away by this date, as it is unsafe even if it looks fine. Products once they reach the use-by date can lose their key nutrients or even develop a build-up of bacteria, which can be harmful if consumed. Common foods with a use-by date include dairy products and meat produce.
 
Best-Before Date
These products can still be eaten after the best before date, as long as they are not damaged, deteriorated or starting to perish. The best before date must be added to any products that have a shelf life is less than 2 years. Many manufacturer’s also include information for ways to store the food, if these expressed requirements are met, than most foods with the best before date can still safely be eaten on or after this date. These products may lose some quality, but it is still expected to retain full colour, taste, texture and flavour as long as stored correctly.  Common foods with the best before date include canned foods, flour and sugars, biscuits, chocolates and chips.
 

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. 

What is Fair Trade?

Fair trade is a social movement that is all about paying better prices, providing fair working conditions and supporting local sustainability in developing countries.

The Fair trade international (FLO) has a number of standards that incorporate social development, economic development and environmental development that must be agreed to by farmers, workers and exporters before any organisation can be considered a Fair trade partner and have the certification to display the Fair trade logo on any products.

The standards include;

• Guaranteed Fair Trade Minimum Price, which is agreed with farmers and workers. 
• The Fair trade minimum price is an agreed minimum rate that will be paid for products, but during times of market fluctuation if the market price is higher than the fair trade minimum price, the market price must be paid, and if the market price is lower, than the Fair trade minimum price has to be paid.  

• A Fair Trade Premium must also be included, which is a further additional payment used for investment in community development. Community projects may include building schools, medical facilities and making easier access to clean drinking water. 

• Financing options for farmers must be available, including prepayments if they require the use of funds up front. 

• Fair Labour Hire conditions, including; 
• Allowing workers the right to join trade unions. 
• The freedom from discrimination of any form. 
• Fair working conditions 
• Fair wages including sick pay and overtime.
• Compliance to health and safety issues. 
• All child labour must not be abusive or forced, with a minimum age of 15 years old. 
• The work for any school child needs to be organised, so the tasks are age appropriate and also done outside school hours or during holidays. 

Fair trade coffee, tea, sugar and chocolate are becoming readily available in supermarkets, while these may sometimes be more expensive, we as consumers have to consider this is a small price to pay for the benefits of others in less fortunate countries unlike ourselves.

Organisations such as Oxfam, have an extensive Fair Trade product list, and the convenience of online shopping www.oxfam.org.au go check their site out. They also have current campaigns and lots of interesting information about how we can become more active in taking the stand for fair trade.

So why not start today, it is even as simple as trying a fair trade product you have not tasted before, and making it a permanent part of your weekly shop. Remember, when you buy Fair Trade Certified goods, you are making a choice that means quality products, improved lives and environmental protection.

For more information, i have included a short clip made by Fair trade Australia and New Zealand they provide more insight into the Cocoa fair trade program currently in Ghana.

.

The Berry Patch

 

 The Berry Patch at Chambers Flat


 One of my favourite times of the year is strawberry season. This is when The Berry Patch – Sunrise Strawberries Farm opens up to the public. The strawberry farm is run by third generation farmers and is located in chambers flat, QLD. The best part of visiting the strawberry farm is they allow visitors to pick their own strawberries. This is such fun treat for little kids, though I must admit I enjoy it just as much.

 

The Berry Patch also has a small store where you can purchase prepacked punnets of delicious strawberry’s or treat yourself to a freshly made strawberry ice cream. Also for sale is a selection of locally produced and made small goods, like jams, honey and biscuits.If you are ever in the area, on a beautiful day, this farm should definitely be a stop on your trip.

 

The Berry Patch does not sell directly to supermarkets but holds a store at a variety of farmer markets, including New Farm, so if you are out and about in Brisbane Markets, keep an eye out for the Berry Patch stall and grab a few of nature’s sweet berry treats.
The Strawberry Farm, Sunrise Strawberries – 912 Chambers Flat Road, Chambers Flats, QLD, 4133 Phone: 07 5546 3652
Visit and like them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Berry-Patch-at-Chambers-Flat/198057860220251