Craig Sams says Australia's totally manic about organicArticle

[S.Annadana]

AUSTRALIA'S appetite for all things organic is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the world.

But consumers can't trust organic labels and that's part of the reason for Green & Black's Chocolate founder Craig Sams is visiting Australia.

The organic guru, chairman of the Soil Association, the UK's governing organic body, has devoted his life to promoting organic food.

He is in Australia pushing for a globalised standard that means a food labelled "organic" in our shops will be the same as an organic food in Europe, the US or anywhere else.

"Australia is missing a key bit of legislation that means a product can be just 40 per cent organic but still label itself 'organic'," he said.

"With laws coming later this year or early next, you will have to have 95 per cent organic ingredients to be able to use the word 'organic'.

"That will encourage investment because nobody wants to invest when a cowboy can come in with a fake product."

Currently, organic food accounts for less than 1 per cent of the total sold in Australia but global demand is growing by 25-30 per cent and by even more in Australia.