The Australia Organic Industry will honour 2019’s highest achievers at an upcoming gala event Australian Organic Industry Awards. Now in its sixth year, the awards will be held in Melbourne at event space The Tallows, Kensington, on Friday, November 15.
Hosted by peak industry body Australian Organic Ltd, the awards will celebrate the outstanding and innovative contributions members of the organic industry have made over the past year, showcasing leading products, businesses and individuals.
Australian Organic CEO Niki Ford commented, “Each year we celebrate the immense contribution certified organic operators give to the organic industry. These Awards are the pinnacle of our yearly celebrations and are a great opportunity to acknowledge the diverse industry at a special event.”
This year’s judging panel reported that entrants exceeded expectations once again: “With so many innovative new products, successful business stories and extraordinary individuals this year’s finalists are a true credit to our industry which has quickly become one of the most dynamic markets in Australia.”
The Australian Organic Market Report 2019 revealed local demand for certified organic products is skyrocketing with $1.93 billion dollars generated in domestic sales for 2018 across a wide range of products. The figure is up $256 million from domestic sales of $1.67 billion for 2017 with the total Australian organic industry now worth $2.6 billion and growing year on year.
It also found 65 per cent of Australian households are now buying some sort of organic product or produce yearly an annual rise of five per cent. Vegetables, beef, non-alcoholic beverages, fruit, ready to eat foods, nuts and cosmetics/ health products are the most in demand items. Demand from overseas countries for Australian organic exports is also continuing to forge ahead with the amount of total export tonnage for 2018 having grown by 13 per cent since 2017. Over the last year, 30,155 tonnes of organic produce and products were exported to 61 different countries.
This year Australian Organic received a huge amount of high-quality entries for this year’s awards.
