AERIS Talks to Dalene Wray, General Manager of OBE Organic, about the benefits of eating organic – and what China must do to make it food safe.
A: How did you come to sell organic beef?
DW: It’s been a family business for generations. My family farms organically in the Channel Country in Australia.
A: What are the health benefits of eating organic meat?
DW: Eating organic beef is the safer choice because it minimizes one’s risk of exposure to pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, as well as the harmful bacteria that are more likely to be found in meat produced in confined animal feeding operations. Also, meat from organically raised, grass-fed animals is lower in total fat, and has more of the healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals.
A: And what are the benefits to the animals and the land they graze on?
DW: Our 100% organic cattle are allowed to roam freely and choose their own diet from the surrounding pasture and grasslands, feeding on more than 250 species of native grasses and herbaceous plants. In this way, our cattle are born and raised the way that nature intended: free of all unnecessary human interference. At the same time the land is protected from harmful pesticides and chemicals, and is farmed in a sustainable manner.
A: What is your response to claims that we – and the planet – would be better off as vegetarians?
DW: Organic red meat actually provides an important, natural source of many essential nutrients in our diets required for optimum health. Many of these nutrients in red meat are better absorbed and digested than the equivalent forms in plant foods. For example, red meat is a rich source of haem iron, which is better absorbed compared to non-haem iron found in plant foods. Iron is important for the transport of oxygen, production of energy and is essential for brain development. Similarly, the protein in red meat is highly digestible – around 94% compared with digestibility of 78% in beans and 86% in whole wheat. Zinc from meat is also better absorbed than from most plant foods, and vitamin B12 is an important vitamin found in meat that cannot be found in plant foods, therefore inadequate intakes of B12 can be a problem for strict vegetarians. Lacking vitamin B12 can adversely affect neurological function including memory and concentration. In terms of being better for the planet, OBE cattle are raised 100% organically and in a sustainable manner that protects the land they graze on.
A: How hard was it to launch an organic beef business in Asia – what were your greatest challenges?
DW: A big challenge is in obtaining organic certification for our cattle from other countries. For example, China doesn’t accept the annual organic inspections on our properties that are performed by Australian auditors, so we have to fly Chinese organic auditors to Australia annually to inspect our farms. It would be an easier process if the inspections performed by Australian auditors were acceptable to China.
A: Do you think Asian consumers see increasing value in eating organic?
DW: Definitely. Since we opened our regional headquarters in Hong Kong last year our Hong Kong retail figures have grown by 8.5%. I think as more is learnt about the bad side of factory-farm food production, and as more food scandals are being reported, Asian consumers are becoming more educated about the benefits of eating organic. As they become more educated they are able to make more informed choices.
A: Are they more interested in organic beef on a menu, or in a supermarket?
DW: From what I’ve seen so far, I would say they are interested in both. We’ve had a great response to our organic meat products in retail shops such as Park N Shop, but I also think it’s important for restaurants to offer organic options to their customers too. At the moment we have our OBE Organic meat products featured in the innovative menus of celebrity Chef Chee Gor of renowned Dragon Seal restaurant chain and Chef Vinny Lauria of Posto Pubblico and Linguini Fini.
A: Where do you source your meat from?
DW: All our meat comes from a collective of family-run farms in the Channel Country in the heart of Australia. The Channel Country grasslands are thousands of kilometres from densely populated areas, and are naturally free of pollutants and chemicals, which make it the ideal location to naturally raise organic cattle.
A: China has seen thousands of food health and safety scandals this year – with Zhejiang province catching out more than 3000 this summer alone. Do you think organic food will be seen as more of a safe haven now?
DW: Yes, because organic food provides a guarantee of integrity. Organic farms and factories that produce organic food products are audited annually, and so their products are produced under strict guidelines. This knowledge should ease the concerns of consumers over the safety of the food they are eating, and motivate them to start choosing organic options.
A: What about cattle in China itself – what kind of policies are needed for China’s own organic food industry to take off?
DW: I’m not too familiar with cattle production in China, but being such a vast country, I’m sure that there are good cattle producing regions and not so good regions (just like in Australia). If China can guarantee the integrity of their products and assure the rest of the world that the food safety scandals are not representative of the wider agricultural community, they will go a long way. China must stamp out corruption in food production and ensure that the food safety scandals are a thing of the past.
