Food and Food Processing News

Going green no walk in the park

Greater numbers of organic food shops are popping up around Beijing and Shanghai due largely to government promotion, a fast-growing middle-level income consumers with extra money to spend on food, an increasing expatriate community and more health-conscious consumers.
Organic farming does not allow the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Some of the products sold include tea, wine, fruit and vegetables, grains and honey.
Despite recent growth, there are a few obstacles that must be addressed in order for China's organic industry to develop further.
The 1990s saw China's first organic products certified and the nation now has the largest area of organic farmland in Asia.
Growth in the industry has been slow but recent concerted efforts by local governments to boost industry capacity have reaped rewards, and in 2004, about three million hectares of land was certified. Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and East China's Fujian Province are leading the charge to further develop organic production.
Last year's organic output in China reached 3 billion yuan (US$375 million) and industry insiders predict the figure will continue to climb over the next decade.
As demand for organic products in developed countries has continued to exceed production in the past few years, China has been capitalizing on this shortfall, with organic food exports valued at US$200 million.
Despite organic products in China being produced primarily for the export market, Asia's highest reported organic domestic market growth, of up to 30 per cent, is in China. This increase, however, doesn't mean that growth in the domestic market is astounding, with organic food accounting for a mere 0.02 per cent.
About 1,400 farms and companies in China have been certified as organic but the numbers could be larger if the certification process wasn't so expensive. A way around this problem would be to give farmers the chance to apply for certification at a co-operative level, thus reducing the high costs individual farmers have to bear.
There are also growing concerns that the organic sector has no regulatory body solely in charge of ensuring organic manufacturers are adhering to the strict rules associated with organic food production. In addition, some pesticides can't be detected with the current technology used when inspecting products.
These two factors have the capacity to not only tarnish producers' credibility but also affect the industry's operational capacity. Both a specific regulatory body and an upgrade in screening technology must be implemented.
Limited marketing channels for organic products and information for producers on how to market their products is also restricting growth of the sector and stopping farmers from pouring large amounts of money and time into going organic.
But efforts to reduce these barriers are underway, with various initiatives being launched by the government to promote organic products, such as Organic Trends, a monthly newsletter promoting national healthy food production and processing.
The newsletter is published by China Environment and Sustainable Development Reference and Research Centre (CESDRRC), which is attached to the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).
But despite these obstacles, the organic industry is bound to grow in China, as more people look for healthy alternatives that are produced in such a way that not only protects them but also the environment.
The author is a copy editor of China Daily