organically grown in okahandja

Submitted by turbosprout on Fri, 2009-02-27 10:21

With design top of everyone's mind... came across this trendy packaging for Greenspot, a Namibian organic vegetable producer. Packaging and branding by %fftheshelf. Nice to look at, but wondering if the packaging is biodegradable or indeed necessary.

Would the product have the same appeal if it was displayed in a wicker basket at a local farmers market? Or do we need cool design to tempt us? If I'm not mistaken organic certification of products entails their having to be packaged so that they cannot be contaminated or confused with "regular" non-organic products. So do we need we need packaging after all?

Frequently the packaging criticism is levelled at Woolworths, but when you have organic and non-organic foodstreams and national distribution networks, what are the alternatives to ensure the integrity of the organic items?

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organic packaging air miles etc

Submitted by dreamer (not verified) on Sat, 2009-02-28 06:35.

a few comments //// any thought to the air miles from northern namibia to the cape ???

and woolies in my opinion should not be so easily defended ..... they inspect their producers farms etc .... to ensure compliance .... ever been to their receiving and or accredited pack house ???? its a joke ..... they buy from any middle man that is prepared to give them what they "want" ...

and as for organic i noticed their organic cotton has a huge percentage organic cotton .... ????

green washing is out there ..... be warned

dreamin' on

Packaging of organic food

Submitted by Dave Harcourt (not verified) on Sun, 2009-03-01 11:28.

The packaging seems reasonable to me pretty light compared to baskets and other packaging. It obviously protects the food (especially that that is eaten raw) against contamination. I'm not sure many Americans would want less at present given their recent food poisoning problems.

not for sale at woolworths

Submitted by turbosprout on Thu, 2009-03-05 20:28.

just to clarify: this product is not actually for sale @woolworths and as far as I know is not available in SA. airmiles do come in to play with other ranges available locally - I've seen beans from Kenya on woolworths shelves. But then again if you live in the WC and eat bananas, avo's, paw-paws or pineapples they've probably had to travel some distance (albeit by road) to get to your plate.

Can't speak about their packhouses, but there were articles in the Farmers Weekly last year about organic milk producers not being treated fairly.

And as for organic cotton - some organic better than no organic, but even organic cotton uses a lot of water. A REAL green company would be lobbying govt to develop a local hemp industry!?

Lemonade Award

Submitted by Annie (not verified) on Mon, 2009-03-02 14:19.

I have nominated you for a Lemonade Award.
So now that you have been nominated, this is what you must do...

Pass on some lemonade & let someone know they have inspired you. Here’s what you do:
1.Put the logo on your blog or post
2.Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post.

I think it is a really cool way to share fabulous blogs :-)

Thanks!

Submitted by turbosprout on Thu, 2009-03-05 20:44.

Hi Annie. Thanks for the lemonade, take it that it's the homemade variety. My favourite lemonade recipe: juice whole lemons with the skin on (4 or 5), add a bit of honey diluted in warm water, and dilute it all with ice water. Anyway I digress...

Thanks for the award and will pass it on sometime when things slow down. Glad that you like to read urban sprout. Nice to read what's going on in Limpopo.

Organic packaging

Submitted by Rob Symons (not verified) on Mon, 2009-03-09 18:28.

Organic rules require that certified organic produce sold in the same store as conventional produce, be packaged in such a way that no contamination or substitution can take place. As far as I know certified produce can only be sold unwrapped in an organic only store. The store will also need to certify.