Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications - Part 2

This post is part of a series on Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications, where I share my research into the most common certifications found on grocery products in New Zealand. Previously I explained what the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance logos mean. Today I'll look at New Zealand's most common organic certifications.


For starters, what exactly does "organic" mean? There are loads of definitions out there, but this one from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements seems to capture the essence:

Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

So that you know a product claiming to be organic has really been produced in accordance with organic production standards, there are organisations around the world that inspect and audit producers, and certify those who meet the strict standards for organic certification. There are two major organic certifications seen on New Zealand grocery products.

AsureQuality is a company 100% owned by the New Zealand government. It provides a number of food safety and biosecurity services, including organic certification. In the AsureQuality Organic Standard, "organic" is defined as "a labelling term that denotes products that have been produced in accordance with organic production Standards". Once a producer is certified organic by AsureQuality, compliance is audited every year.  A product displaying the AsureQuality Organic Standard meets these conditions:

• Has been produced using only the permitted substances listed in the Standard.
• Ingredients, additives or processing aids derived from GMOs have not been used in production.
• Soil fertility and pest control have been achieved using biological or physical methods where possible (rather than adding chemicals to the production process). 
• Has not been treated with ionising radiation.
• In the case of livestock, they have been raised with natural feed (organic where available), sufficient space, and sanitary conditions. Poultry, pigs and rabbits must not be kept in cages.
• Has been produced without forced labour or child labour, and the producer has a non-discriminatory employment policy and allows employees to bargain collectively.
• Has been produced, packaged and transported in a way that prevents contamination with non-organic material.
• Is packaged in a way that avoids unnecessary packaging materials, and in reusable, recycled, recyclable and biodegradable packaging whenever possible.

A certified organic product may contain less than five percent of ingredients that are not organically derived if certain conditions are met.

BioGro is a not-for-profit organic producer and consumer organisation. The BioGro NZ Organic Standards have been developed especially for New Zealand producers. BioGro is accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. Products carrying the BioGro certification have undergone a three-year certification process. Products undergoing the certification process will display a BioGro "In Conversion" label. BioGro Organic certification requires producers to meet similar standards to the AsureQuality Organic Standard. The conditions that the producer must meet include:

• Having a sustainable environmental management strategy, which covers practices that maintain or enhance the quality of the air, water and soil and enhance biodiversity.
• Maintaining cultural values associated with land and water.
• Providing habitats in which livestock can be raised in comfort and with minimal stress. This includes allowing natural grazing, complying with specified stocking densities, providing adequate shade and shelter and ensuring access to adequate fresh water. Transport and slaughter must minimise any pain and distress to livestock.
• Reducing waste through reducing, reusing, recycling and energy conservation.
• No use of genetic engineering or GMOs.
• Production without involuntary labour, and the producer has a non-discriminatory employment policy and allows employees to bargain collectively. Any children employed by the producer must be provided with educational opportunities.
• Contamination with non-organic material has been avoided at every stage of the production process.

Coming up next in the Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications series: carboNZero and Environmental Choice certifications.