2017 marks 25 years of Organix, it’s Duchy Organics’ 25th birthday, and the 70th anniversary of the work of the Soil Association. It’s also the year that a €10.4m investment into marketing UK and Danish organic food starts, so we can continue the 7% growth of the organic market.

Anna Rosier

It fills me with huge pride that since 2004 I’ve been in the organic industry - as a leader of Organix, as a licensee of the Soil Association, as a customer of great organic brands, foods and products, and as a director of the Organic Trade Board.

In 25 years we have seen huge progress in food quality. We’ve seen the EU voluntary ban on six colourings, meaning sweets and drinks have been reformulated, with these additives now close to eradicated from little ones’ diets. We’ve seen regulation change in school meals from the evidence in Food for Life so more children not only eat better, but perform better. And what’s happening in high street restaurants is changing: we know where the food comes from, we can get salad or veg for little ones instead of chips, and free water offered over fizzy drinks.

However, it’s not just what’s been enforced by regulation that can be celebrated, but what has been enforced by those who want to create change in what we eat. In 2004, Organix reviewed 283 snacks regularly eaten by children in a report called Carrots or Chemistry. It highlighted a shocking state of affairs. On average these foods had five additives, they were poorly labelled for ingredients and carried nutritional information and claims that were confusing for parents.

From this insight, Organix Goodies was born, offering clearly labelled food that’s nutritionally right for little ones. This set a trend, in children’s food and, indeed, all food.

Much more remains to be done. Big food business is not going to take the idea of good quality food being the right business model unless we can prove it makes money. That’s why we’re not shy about saying: we do make money. And so do many other businesses doing the right thing.

Sales and consumer demand are growing for brands and businesses that are putting purpose before profit and are doing the right thing. Not because there is regulation but because as a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens they have decided to change the world. So what of the future? We know more, have more examples of good practice and more evidence of why we have to make change immediately. This should compel everyone to act responsibly, but until we can rely on responsible self-policing by the food industry, then we require regulation.

The things we need to tackle range from the food regulation on weaning being brought up to date to reflect what’s being sold in aisles; the use of ingredients not fit for purpose based on changes in consumption or business model; and the marketing of foods where we know brands have huge influences on consumer behaviour.

Let’s not take short cuts on what’s good. Let’s get this right and feel amazing about what we achieved when we look back 25 years from now.

Anna Rosier is a director of the Organic Trade Board

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