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Meat from free-ranging cattle in Namibia will receive international attention during a new branding campaign by retail giant Woolworths South Africa as the company increases its focus to more sustainable and organic food production.

"We have completed a five-day trip in Namibia with a 30-member television crew to shoot footage and to take still photos on farms with free-ranging cattle for our advertising campaigns starting this month," said Glenda Forbes from Woolworths.

"This is one of our biggest campaigns. We will publish a full-colour insert in our 'Taste' magazine on Namibian meat, display poster-sized photos at the food departments our stores of Namibia and run the television advertisements on the major channels," Forbes told reporters.

Woolworths had started the 'Farming for the Future' initiative several years ago, she added, which included fewer pesticides used in fruit and vegetable farming and hormone-free meat and milk products. Currently Woolworths has almost 500 outlets.

Meatco will also feature prominently since the company has been exporting Farm Assured Namibian (FAN) Meat products to Woolworths for three years.

"It was overwhelming to experience the true free-ranging cattle herds on Namibian farms," Forbes added.

About 120 outlets of Woolworths sell FAN meat, but this figure will increase with the campaign. The film crew shot on location on Sonja Kibble's farm, Progress Farming, 50 kilometres east of Windhoek and on Voigtland of Stefan Voigts, about 30 km north-east of the capital.

The Woolworths Free range is defined by the five criteria of animal welfare, freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour and freedom from fear and distress. Additional specifications include predator-friendly farming, the non-use of growth stimulants as well as ethical farming based on sound business practices.

The 'Search for Good Food' advertising campaign focuses on healthy, organic foods that have been produced in harmony with nature. Meatco will be promoted as the only free-range beef producer in southern Africa.

South African filmmaker and cook Justin Bonello is part of Woolworths' summer campaign and an episode on Namibian free-range beef of his 'Cooked 5' series will be broadcast on the BBC Lifestyle channel. Australian chef and television personality Bill Granger is also part of the campaign.

"Meatco earns a premium for its producers by capitalising on the unique selling points of Namibian meat, namely the fact that it is produced on natural grazing and in line with stringent quality standards set by the European Union" said Meatco's Lelanie Basson.

"Worldwide, quality has been replaced with convenience and mass production, but a few companies have managed to master the art of natural beef production. Meatco is one of them. It sources its beef from Namibian farmers who raise and manage their herds in line with Woolworths' free-range beef specifications."

Meatco also exports beef under the brand name Nature's Reserve, which is branded in South Africa by the Cape Town company Excellent Meat, according to its Chief Operating Officer Johnathan Herbert, who accompanied the Woolworths team to Namibia.

Organic Monitor Comment
Woolworths is applauded for setting up this ethical meat sourcing programme in Namibia. By supporting free-range production, it is encouraging farmers to adopt high animal welfare standards. Woolworths is also showing how sustainable & organic foods can be successfully retailed in Africa. Sustainable sourcing in the food industry was extensively featured in the Sustainable Foods Summit, which took place in Amsterdam on June 10-11. More details are on the website

Related Article: Overcoming the Sustainability Marketing Conundrum

Source: The Namibian / Organic Monitor

The Brazilian company has become a private limited partnership after half a century of family administration. In May, the supplier, which specialises in ingredients derived from Amazonian products, announced that it was to become a corporation, a move which it said would result in larger investment proposals needed for the company to expand.

Beraca’s health and beauty sales leapt 79% in Q1 2010 as compared to the same period of the previous year with exports accounting for 35% of revenues. Organic Monitor believes a major factor behind this high growth is strong demand for sustainable ingredients.

A recent report (CSR & Sustainability in the Beauty Industry) by Organic Monitor found Beraca to be one of the most ethical enterprises in the beauty industry. The Brazilian company was praised for its social and ecological investment projects in the Amazon. Its business model is a prime example of a company successfully meeting the triple bottom line.

Sustainable Cosmetics Summit
Sustainability initiatives, such as biodiversity and ethical sourcing, will be extensively featured in the upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, taking place in Paris on 18-20th October. Leading natural cosmetic companies - including the Brazilian firm Beraca - will be participating in the summit. More details are on the website

Source: Organic Monitor

Organic foods and drinks are increasingly popular in Argentina. A growing number of specialist retailers, such as El Rincon Organico in Buenos Aires, are selling 100% organic food and drink products, including wine, yoghurt, milk and chicken.

According to one organic grower, Eduardo Ciancia, the market has grown by 15% since 2003. A report by Argentina's food safety authority Senasa demonstrates that land given over to organic production increased by 10% in 2009, reaching 4.4m hectares. Argentina is ranked after Australia in terms of having the world's largest area of certified organic land. There are an estimated 1,864 organic producers in Argentina.

Ciancia considers that organic food products, which do not use pesticides, are 20% more expensive than conventional foods. A pro-organic association (MAPO) in Argentina has confirmed that domestic consumption of organic products increased by 40% in 2009.

Almacen Bio is the first organic restaurant in Buenos Aires and an organic stall was set up at the city's main market. In addition, more than 2,000 consumers queue every Wednesday at the El Galpon organic store in Buenos Aires to obtain organic fair trade produce. Some 300 farmers supply the El Galpon market and many more are interested, in one year the number of shoppers increased by 60%. The Mercado Social Solidario market in Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, is also popular.

Related Report: #7002-40 The Global Market for Organic Food & Drink 


Source: Clarin