Organic suppliers have expressed concern that a proposed ban on certifying airfreighted organic imports could jeopardise both the market and the livelihoods of many international producers, but will do little to halt climate change.
The UK’s leading organic certification body, the Soil Association (SA), said although very little organic produce is airfreighted, it was considering an outright ban owing to a growing demand from consumers to lessen any environmental impact of food distribution.
But several suppliers claim the move would harm businesses, especially in developing countries, which rely on airfreighting to transport their perishable goods.
Blue Skies, a fresh-cut fruit business with facilities in Ghana, has developed a strong European following for its sugarloaf pineapple, one of the few organic prepared fruits available. It says customers accept that the benefits of supporting the 77 organic and Fairtrade farms it works with by purchasing their fresh products outweigh the impact of flying them.
Blue Skies chairman Anthony Pile, who sits on the SA’s ethical standards committee, said certification was essential to the company’s plans to expand its business throughout the developing world.
He said: “We will fight to keep our organic business for the sake of all our farmers, their families and their communities in what is one of the poorest areas of [Ghana]. We have invested millions in a new factory in Ghana to be able to dedicate more capacity for organic products and we have recently acquired land, which is intended to be converted to organic status very soon.
“A move by the Soil Association or any of our customers to ban airfreighted products would be catastrophic to the future of our business and the tens of thousands of people in Africa who depend upon us.”
Lucy Crawford, organic procurement manager at importer Utopia UK, agreed that the proposed ban would have a “major impact” on the company, adding, “it would mean several of our growers going out of business who have planted lime orchards to supply us from the Dominican Republic.”
Owing to their limited shelf-life, such products cannot be transported by sea. But the companies claim they do not charter freighters but only send products in cargo space onboard existing passenger planes, so unless all passenger flights are cancelled, the move will have no impact on reducing carbon emissions.
One New Zealand exporter of organics said there were other environmental factors to consider besides food miles. He told FPJ: “There is a need to look at the whole production cost, energy use and benefits to the environment of organic growers overall. You will find the net negative effect to the environment will be less from an organic grower compared to a conventional grower airfreighting product, as a whole.”
He added that the proposed ban could set back the organics industry, by disabling growth in production that would otherwise have allowed economies of scale and hence the possibility of choosing more cost-effective ways of transport.
Another exporter said he was concerned the restrictions on organic imports could be expanded to sea-freighted goods, while others say conventional airfreighted products such as tree-ripened mangoes and speciality vegetables could experience a backlash as well.
Meanwhile, others have welcomed the move. UK-based producer and importer Riverford Organic Vegetables said the announcement from the SA came as it decided to demonstrate its commitment not to airfreight with a new logo, pictured. The company’s Jodie Fulton told FPJ: “We’ve never made a big song and dance about it, but customers wanted a clearer assurance that we do not airfreight our products.”
