A recent article interviewing major players in the Australian
organic industry states that children are driving the organic sector
growth. According to Rick Carmont brand category manager with the
world’s leading dairy exporter, Fonterra. “A substantial amount - up to
a third – of our organic category is estimated to be consumed by a
person under eight,” he says.
Some families are
buying organic for their children whilst only eating conventional food
themselves. This highlights the growing awareness of the positive
health benefits of organic foods.
BFA spokesperson Shane Heaton stated that “Children are more vulnerable to food toxins than adults – they have a larger
intake of food per kilo of body weight and immature organs and detoxification
and immune systems,” he says. “And a study released last year found young
children exposed to certain preservatives and food colours are more prone to
hyperactive tendencies.”
Some
organic manufacturers have started up specific children's product lines
and you can expect to see more for sale here at Yum Organics in the
future, especially now that we have a baby ourselves!
It will be
interesting to see if parents are actually switching their children to
conventional from organic when they are older or if the children become
so used to it that they eventually convince their parents to go
organic. It would seem strange that as a parent you would switch your
children from something that you believe is good for them to something
that you believe is going to be more harmful for them.
Of
course the real reason is cost and I can't get on my high horse when
the average Australian can't afford to eat organic. However it is just
a question of priorities and a little bit here and there can help you
long term. Finding an extra $20-$30 for organic is achievable for most
families and if you have to cut down on coffee and alcohol to find it,
then that can only be a good thing. The more people that eat organic
the cheaper it will become and more healthy our country will be, as our
slogan goes, "Healthy People. Happy Planet", so spread the word and
let's get everyone healthy!