Event Details

Where: Zoom Webinars
When: 26 October 2021 | 9am-10am AEST
Price: FREE

The Nutritional Benefits of Organic Foods

Hosted by Australian Organic Limited with guest speakers from the University of Melbourne

Australian Organic Limited is pleased to share with you the recent meta-study on the nutritional benefits of organic produce from the University of Melbourne.

Long have we assumed that organic agriculture has more quantifiable benefits for your health, not just from an environmental or livestock welfare perspective. After all, nobody wants to eat pesticides and synthetic fertilisers!

We welcome Dr Senaka Ranadheera and his associate Anna Wittwer from the University of Melbourne as we explore the peer-reviewed science of the significant changes within the food you eat based on how it is produced.

The webinar will cover fatty acid profiles, phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids and a number of other profiles as well as the potential for future research. Join us to explore this area and understand how the food choices you make may affect your health!

Background

Australian Organic Limited (AOL) commissioned the School of Agriculture and Food at the University of Melbourne to conduct research surrounding organic foods, probiotics and the gut microbiome.

This webinar will primarily discuss the outcomes of the research, but will also touch upon how industry and academia can work towards mutually beneficial outcomes through the lens of post-graduate research.

It also provides an opportunity for the organic industry to observe how a peak industry body, such as AOL, can leverage its network to generate research into an area that will potentially have significant opportunities for the Australian, and international, organics industry.

Read the Industry Research: Volume 1 here.

About Niki Ford

Driven by her rural roots and educated through her study of nutritional medicine, Niki Ford has a strong interest in agriculture and organics. She has held several senior leadership positions within the organic industry and joined Australian Organic lIMITED in 2018 as General Manager; becoming CEO in 2019. Since then, Niki has successfully navigated a demerge, restructured the operational team and established strong connections with Government and Industry.

About Josefine Pettersson

Josefine Pettersson has a Masters of Organic Agriculture coupled with industry experience in both cropping and livestock. Having worked in the EU and Australia, she brings a new perspective of Organic Agriculture and insight to advancing the opportunities of Australian producers. As part of her new Technical Officer role at AOL, she is focused on standards development and market access to further advance the Organic industry. 

About Dr Senaka Ranadheera

Dr Senaka Ranadheera is a food scientist and his research interests focus on probiotics and prebiotic food applications. Along with his research, Senaka is passionate about science communications. He holds a PhD (Food Science) from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Senaka teaches a number of subjects and is also the coordinator for postgraduate subject Food Safety and Quality and undergraduate subject Food Research & Development. In addition, he coordinates the Honours degree program. He was an Early Career Research Fellow at Victoria University before joining the University of Melbourne in 2017. 

About Anna Wittwer

Anna Wittwer is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne at the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences. In 2020, she worked as a research assistant at the university following the completion of her Honours thesis. She was delighted to have the opportunity to work on the literature review commissioned by AOL for their 2021 Market Report.