Assembling an Organic Roledex in Australia
A major Australian newspaper (Melbourne’s The Age) recently dedicated its entire food section to the subject of ethical eating. Much of the cover story is motivated by the grim realities of modern commercial food production and consumption outlined in the two new books The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and The Ethics of What We Eat (the Aussie version of The Way We Eat) by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. But many of their arguments have to be adjusted to fit the Australian environment. “Both books are based on US practices,” explains journalist Michael Harden in The Age, “where standards in everything from animal welfare to organic certification lag well behind those in Australia.” I found that statement inspiring but incredibly daunting - to accurately understand ethical and sustainable eating in Australia, I’ll have to put aside the whole set of books and magazines on the subject that are just beginning to enter the mainstream in the US and find local alternatives.
By way of introduction, I should explain that I am a supporter of the organic, sustainable, and slow food movements, but I am not yet an expert. I should also make it clear that while I live in Australia, I have only recently relocated from the United States and am not yet a permanent resident. I’ll soon be filing regular stories with Growers & Grocers about specific farming and food production issues that relate to Australia, but I’ve decided to use this first article to share my state of uncertainty about what defines these issues here on the other side of the world. As I become more familiar, I’ll share the information that I uncover with G&G readers.
Here are some of the resources that I’ll be relying on in the coming months:
Australian Community Foods
Biological Farmers of Australia
EcoDirectory
Fair Trade Associate of Australia and New Zealand
The Organics Directory
