Page 24 - Food & Drink Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

SNACKS & CONFECTIONERY
The rise of organic snack food
With many sectors of the Australian organic industry currently thriving, one sector that is set to boom in the coming years is that of organic snack foods. Fleur Michell writes.
THE global organic snack market is currently valued at more than $8.7 million and is expected to rise to $24 million by 2025, according to the latest Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast report.
Figures from the Australian Organic Market Report 2019 show the domestic and export value of processed/ready to eat foods is worth $207 million. Almost one third (28 per cent) of consumers said they purchased organic confectionery and snacks every month.
Australian Organic Limited (AOL) CEO Niki Ford says Australian organic producers are continuing to make waves both domestically and internationally.
“People, especially this year, are becoming more conscious of health and environmental concerns,” Ford says.
“Many consumers are more aware of pesticides and synthetic chemicals in products such as snack foods and are also
wanting healthier options to traditional snack foods.
“Australian organic snack producers and suppliers are continuing to deliver innovative products into the market with amazing flavour combinations, which are also very good for you, so it’s an exciting time.”
RAISING AWARENESS
September is Australian Organic Awareness Month, an annual event, which highlights
product they are purchasing has been rigorously audited against a high-quality standard.”
MILLENNIAL APPEAL
If there’s one thing young people can’t get enough of its coffee.
Melbourne-based company Murray River Organics, which operates large-scale sustainable processes and is the biggest, fully integrated producer of organic dried vine fruit in the world, recently launched a new
“ Australian organic snack producers continue to deliver innovative products into the market with amazing flavour combinations, which are also good for you.”
just how important it is to always look for an official certification logo when purchasing products that claim to be organic.
As it stands, the use of the word ‘organic’ is not defined in Australia, so for the past 18 months AOL, has been working with government and industry to progress the discussion for a mandatory regulation aligned to Australian export requirements.
The government is considering a number of regulatory pathways to achieve this commonsense approach and align Australia with international standards.
“Currently within Australia, being certified organic is a voluntary process however any producer or manufacturer can claim a product is organic on its packaging with as little as one ingredient being from organic origins,” Ford says.
“Regulating the use of this word will give producers, manufacturers and consumers much greater clarity that the
AOL CEO Niki Ford says consumers are becoming more conscious of health and environmental concerns.
range of trail mix snacks, which feature organic coffee beans sourced from Melbourne company St Ali.
General manager Tara Lordsmith said the product, conceptualised at the beginning of the year, was in packets within just six weeks.
“Trail mixes are a perfect extension of our recently launched muesli range which has gone into Coles supermarkets nationally. Coffee is a perfect pick-me-up, so we made it the hero ingredient for this particular variant.
“The innovation process started with a big workshop with our cross functional team. We got everyone to construct their ideal mix from a big list of organic ingredients we knew we could source locally or internationally. Given most of the ingredients once we narrowed it down were on hand due to our extensive sourcing capabilities, the longest lead time was on finalising packaging and artwork.”
Lordsmith says the product is currently available through independent retailers with the business looking to grow distribution of the range quickly.
24 | Food&Drink business | September-October 2020 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au