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Rest of the World
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07/07/10 |
South
Africa:
Woolworths Sourcing Ethical Meat from Namibia |
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
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29/06/10 |
Brazil:
Beraca Reports Healthy Sales Growth |
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
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07/06/10 |
Argentina: Organic
Products Gain Popularity |
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
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