Industry moves to sustainable palm oil

Posted - July 25, 2010

Industry moves to sustainable palm oil

By Warren Beaumont

There is global concern over palm oil being sourced from Indonesia and South East Asia where tropical forests have been cleared to make way for plantations, which have threatened the orangutan. This has led to major food retailers and suppliers to introduce plans to source sustainable palm oil or to ban palm oil in food.

Nestle announced it had stopped sourcing palm oil from the Indonesian company Sinar Mas and was moving to meet high standards for sustainability. Unilever suspended purchases of palm oil from PT SMART, part of the Sinar Mas group. It followed allegations by Greenpeace that Sinar Mas, Indonesia’s biggest palm oil producer, had been responsible for widespread deforestation and peatland clearance.

French supermarket giant Casino has announced that it will no longer use palm oil in 200 of its private label products by the end of 2010 and will eventually remove palm oil from all its food products, citing concerns over palm oil’s environmental impact and high levels of saturated fat. Palm oil will be replaced by other oils such as rapeseed or sunflower. Non-food branded Casino products will still use palm oil, but it must be certified as sustainable.

Australia’s largest supermarket retailer Woolworths has also announced a plan to move to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified sustainable palm oil by 2015 for all its private label products. It will apply to become the first Australian retail member of the RSPO, a global not for profit organization set up to advance the use of certified palm oil and to establish consistent standards.

Sustainability questions over supplier’s sourcing

Questions have been raised about Nestlé’s approach to true sustainability in palm oil sourcing after it announced its commitment to using only “Certified Sustainable Palm Oil” by 2015. The segregated supply chain - the ability to keep sustainable palm oil separate from non-sustainable from plantation through to finished products - is still relatively undeveloped. Unilever claims that its involvement in the RSPO-endorsed scheme helps the company move towards its target of buying all its palm oil from certified sources by 2015. This company revealed in April it had bought enough sustainable palm oil certificates under the GreenPalm scheme to cover the requirements of its European, Australian and New Zealand businesses.

Although the oil they receive is not necessarily sustainably certified, in buying certificates equivalent to a certain volume of palm oil a manufacturer is promoting the sustainable production of the crop. “Until sustainable segregated supply chains become available, GreenPalm certificates are the best option to encourage growers to comply with the requirements of the RSPO and certify their plantations as sustainable,” Unilever’s senior vice president of global communications and sustainability Gavin Neath said.

“For those companies who decided to ban palm oil instead of supporting the good suppliers, we would like to ask if they will also take the same action with all other agriculture products”, says Tulio Dias environmental and social responsibility manager for Agropalma, Latin America’s largest producer of palm oil. “As far as we know, every economical development will bring a certain kind of ecological impact. There is no product that is 100% sustainable.” Mr Dias points out that Casino is likely to sell hundreds of products containing wheat and rice, just to highlight two out of thousands of products. He says: “Wheat and rice together stand for more than 370 million hectares of plantation worldwide (palm oil plantations stand for less than 20 million hectares), can they assure that all of them are sustainable? What about beans, fruits, cereals and beverages? This kind of action only shows that some companies are not yet ready for compliance of their procurement with good and sustainable practices, assuring their products come from reliable suppliers”.

Agropalma is the first 100% certified oil palm plantation under ISO 9001, ISO 14,001, OHSAS 18.001 and ISO 22.000. It is also the first producer to be granted approval in 2009 to use the EcoSocial seal by the IBD Certifications for its organic line of palm oil.

“Certification systems are important because almost all buyers (final or middle consumers) don’t have opportunity to visit the producers and to get information on how they operate the business”, says Mr. Dias. “If a buyer trusts a seal, it means that he trusts the certification system used to provide that stamp for that product,” he says.

Regarding issues of non-sustainability and deforestation that impact on fair trade and sustainable producers, and skeptics who do not believe growing sustainable palm oil is possible, Mr Dias agrees that these issues can impact sales for Agropalma and other environmentally and socially responsible producers - in a positive or negative way, depending on the situation. “If a client replaces palm oil for another kind of oil, every company that produces palm oil loses. On the other hand, it can be a good opportunity if a palm oil buyer avoids a supplier whose social and environmental performance is suspect, and starts looking for a substitute supplier who will offer palm oil from an acceptable production process”.

And what about those skeptical? “Anyone who studies a little about sustainability knows that it is related to all production activities, to identify and mitigate negative impacts and to define the right technology and procedures to implement, says Dias. This is a technical issue that can be measured, assessed, analyzed and verified. Producers of the same product can be compared and their performance monitored year after year.” The most difficult task is to define the indicators to measure the level of sustainability for an organization or economic sector.

“Given we sell the palm oil mostly to the US and Canada, Casino’s decision will most likely not affect us in a very large manner unless it is just part of an anti-palm movement, “says Jenelle Ludwig Krause of US based distributor Ciranda®, a worldwide supplier of organic commodities such as palm oil. “To Agropalma there are more opportunities than losses, since the company has strong environmental and social management programs, systems and certifications, and the market is developing new important quality requirements and processes beyond the standard traditionally required,” says Dias.

Agropalma’s plantations are located in a region where almost all native vegetation was already removed for cattle and agriculture. Today, there are almost 40 thousand hectares of palm oil plantations and 64 thousand hectares of primary forest reserves at Agropalma’s operations in Para, north-east of Brazil, with 193 plant species living under the palm trees. Environmental agencies have also identified 389 bird species and 37 species of medium and big mammals at the plantations, including six birds and six mammals considered endangered species.

Currently about 10% of Agropalma’s oil production is organic certified. The EcoSocial seal for fair trade practices applies to its organic line. Under the family agriculture program, 185 small neighboring palm oil producers receive technical assistance and a premium price. Agropalma pays them for their production of palm oil in an effort to divert them from cutting the primary forest and burning trees for coal - the additional income and investment in community projects reflects strong commitment to environmental and social principles. Agropalma’s efforts for its 5,000 employees move far beyond the minimum standards of sustainability achieved by many palm oil suppliers.
“Looking at a situation holistically is so important when making a decision like that (banning palm oil)”, says Ms. Ludwig Krause. “Unfortunately, consumers often see the issue as black and white instead of all the variations of gray that are reality. Hopefully we can continue to educate people about the benefits of sustainable palm such as the fact that it yields up to 13 times more oil than the same acreage of other seed oils”, she says.

Euro-Nat: Partnering Bolivian quinoa for 20 years

Posted - February 11, 2010

Euro-Nat: Partnering Bolivian quinoa for 20 years

By Angela Mallaroni

In 1988, entrepreneur Didier Perreol, discovered quinoa at a casual encounter during an exhibition in Geneva. He was looking for a unique cereal product to stand out from his 75 product line his firm Euro-Nat had recently introduced to natural health food stores in France.

Impressed with the grain, Mr Perreol went to Bolivia to meet with ANAPQUI, the only cooperative of small quinoa producers in the country at the time. With his first 500 kg order of Royal Quinoa, Mr Perreol went back home with the commitment to introduce quinoa to France. The emblematic company brand Primeal was born, and an intensive communications campaign followed.

Primeal Royal Quinoa was a success. It was versatile, easy to prepare and mix in many recipes and inspired Mr. Perreol and others to publish quinoa cookbooks. For the next ten years Euro-Nat imported quinoa from the producers in Bolivia and the Primeal brand entered every natural health food store in France. In 2001, Euro-Nat started distribution of quinoa products to major supermarket chains under private label.

To develop a stable project with constant delivery and traceability of the best quinoa available, Mr Perreol made a further commitment: to set up shop in Bolivia itself. In 1997, he founded Jatariy, (‘stand up’ in Quechua), in Oruro, as sister company of Euro-Nat to overlook production, collection, cleaning and packaging of the grain to be exported to France.

Quinoa demand made the price soar. It increased 300% in 2008. Long-term agreements with the producers can be more complicated, as there are many new buyers. Now, consumers in Bolivia can scarcely buy quinoa, while producers sell to all foreign markets.

Quick gains led farmers to plant quinoa in fields or areas not suitable for it, while neither rotating nor properly fertilizing fields, with soil deterioration, falling quinoa quality and plummeting yields.

All products offered by Euro-Nat are organic certified. Mr Perreol is also a founding member of Bioequitable, association established in France since 2002, to promote organically raised and fair traded products independently certified.

Under this scheme, the price to quinoa producers is fixed in agreement with the communities involved, at a higher rate than the conventional market price. Euro-Nat offers additional incentives in bonuses for quinoa grown in the highlands as opposed to the flats.

In the past three years, Jatariy has been working with Vets Without Frontiers to assist farmers raising llamas and alpacas, supplementing farmers’ income. The animals provide manure for fertilizing the quinoa fields.

The company has invested in other interesting community projects. In 2006 it contributed to launching the first radio station in Uru Chipaya language, allowing citizens of the small, Bolivian town of Chipaya to listen to radio broadcasts in their native language for the first time.

Jatariy is also active in a partnership with the BOLIVIA INTI association to provide solar powered stoves and reduce use of wood as fuel; cooperation with Sumax Waksay, for a health care mobile facility; and philanthropic actions such as donations of powder milk and dried foods for public schools.

Jatariy has 37 employees, exported 1,500 tonnes of quinoa in 2009 with a total annual income of 4 million USD. Of the more than 400 products under the brand Primeal, 40 include quinoa.

Over 80 percent of the 200 quinoa producers working with Jatariy have been with the group for 12 years. In France, Euro-Nat employs 84 people and reports an annual income of 53 million euro for 2009. Euro-Nat is also a holding group that acquired the name EKIBIO last year. With a total of 175 employees the holding reported a total turnover of 65 million Euro for 2009.

As result of 20 years committed to promote quinoa , Mr Perreol has built a solid cooperation in Bolivia and France. Currently Mr Perreol and his son Olivier, as export manager, plan to increase their presence in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Britain. Canada and Japan are also countries of interest.

In Bolivia, Jatariy will diversify and offer black quinoa which is rich in lithium, and red, not only the white variety of Royal Quinoa that has been the one most appreciated in the market due to its larger-sized grain. The company will focus on maca as well. Cooperation was established with the Bolivian firm Naturalcos, which produces and exports the line Maca Spirit.

Another product of interest is stevia, following the EU market and particularly France opening the door for its import. Other grains like canihua and amaranth have interest in the market, and although not as high as quinoa, they have potential as ingredients for food products. After 20 years of commitment, Mr Perreol is still impressed with quinoa the ‘Mother Grain”, the people and the land where it grows.

Irupana: building a sustainable model of social enterprise

Posted - January 25, 2010

Irupana: building a sustainable model of social enterprise

By Adriana Michael

With a jeep, 4,000 USD and two ideas, entrepreneur Javier Hurtado Mercado founded Irupana Andean Organic Food S.A. in 1985. First, he wanted to market natural and organic certified products from small indigenous producers in Bolivia. Second, he wanted to make available ancient forgotten nutritious foods. After working for several years with NGOs, Javier and his wife Marta Cordero realized that the only way to help peasant farmers was to set up a distribution business to bring products directly to the buyers.

Until 2004, the firm supplied mainly the domestic market with over 120 natural foods and a distribution network of 400 outlets. Opening a franchise followed, currently with 18 natural food shops that offer coffee, a variety of Andean cereals and baked goods, pasta and honey.

A tender bid from the government (2000-2004) allowed Irupana to offer a nutritious breakfast with quinoa to feed over 60,000 students from public schools. Instead of refined imported wheat for cheap bread, the children discovered a delicious and nutritious local staple.”Those four years were perhaps the most gratifying” says Mr. Hurtado.

Interest in quinoa increased gradually. Health related circles in Europe and the USA spread the word of its nutritional benefits. Irupana acquired new processing plants in 2006. Quinoa exports rose from 5 to 20 tonnes, offering a steady income to counter an unstable domestic market.

In 2008, food scandals around the world, consumer dissatisfaction with big agro-food manufacturers and demand for gluten-free foods drove Royal Quinoa sales even further. Last year, the farmers’ price for quinoa rose from 40 to 112 USD. That year Irupana was the number one exporter of Bolivian Royal Quinoa.

Mr. Hurtado attended BioFach to sell his value-added products. “It is an event to connect producers of raw materials from developing countries with trading and processing firms from industrialized nations. The international cooperation is oriented to strengthen a rigid North –South exchange”, says Hurtado.

Helping farmers become entrepreneurs

“Over the years we understood that to incorporate the small Bolivian organic farmers into the global economy, they needed subsidies”, says Mr. Hurtado.”They had to learn how to increase land for organic production and to get certification, and technical assistance to set up internal control systems for harvesting and warehousing, along with small agricultural machines and biological pest controls”. To fulfill these needs in a more efficient way, Irupana created its own NGO in 2007: El Instituto Bartolina Sisa.

The Institute immediately embarked on some interesting ventures. For example, Bolivia’s Altiplano offers little fuel options except wood from sparse forest. To control further erosion from cutting trees, the Institute supported a project to introduce solar powered stoves. The Institute has also studied local nutrition. The additional quinoa income has lead families to buy processed foods. Like consumers in other parts of the globe, to save on time and effort, local families also wanted access to ready-to-use foods. The Institute now supports initiatives to educate locals to eat healthier. There are plans of a retail operation for quinoa-derived foods, at subsidized prices, under management of the quinoa farming communities.

Although today Bolivian families have a more stable disposable income, fuelling demand for natural and healthier foods, Irupana aims to find new markets for finished lines. Currently, red, black and white Royal Quinoa and amaranth are available in grain, flakes, flour and puffed, packed for retail under private or own label. Another goal is to invest in technology and development of new products to reach foreign markets with value-added foods, such as energy bars with quinoa, canihua and amaranth - all gluten free.

Mr. Hurtado started with two ideas, which have materialized. But his vision goes further: “Our goal is to consolidate Irupana as a cooperative enterprise with 33 percent of shares open to our suppliers, employees and executives, 34 percent for the promoters and 33 percent open to financial investors.”

Mr. Hurtado has worked tirelessly to develop a model of organic production that preserves the environment, while encouraging farmers to become actively involved entrepreneurs in the process. A jeep, 4,000USD and two ideas to help farmers have already brought big dividends.

Australian Organic Skincare

Posted - November 1, 2008

Jasmin Skincare:  Facing the challenge of organic beauty

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Imagine a laboratory at the top of a mountain, surrounded by virgin forests, and supplied directly with medicinal herbs, extracts, and essential oils from its own organic biodynamic farm. Such a mountain is called Mt. Tamborine in the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland of Australia, where Jasmin Skincare has developed its 100% organic certified line of skincare and cosmetics.

Founded in 2002 by Lihua Song and Gordon Chalmers, the driving force behind Jasmin Skincare has been the desire to offer people a natural and alternative range in an industry dominated by multi-nationals peddling synthetics. The company’s entire operation is vertically integrated, ensuring complete control of production, from farming of the active ingredients all the way to the end product delivered to the consumer.

Conventional wisdom in the beauty industry claims that the inclusion of a few ingredients are as far as organic cosmetics can go. They point to the sometimes poor performance of natural shampoos and deodorants as an indicator that truly natural beauty products will never sell as well as their synthetic counterparts. Fortunately, dynamic firms like Jasmin Skincare are proving those naysayers wrong.

It took this company three long years of research and development, and an investment of around eight million US dollars but, in the end,  Jasmin Skincare launched its own organic line. A claim not easy to make, as water is the main ingredient in most cosmetics and water can not be certified as organic.

With Jasmine Skincare, Song and Chalmers replaced the traditional water phase with ingredients such as shea butter, aloe vera gel and beneficial plant extract.” If we use water in any product it is in the form of certified organic rosewater and limited below 10% of the total formulation”, says Chalmers. The only exception to this are the five floral hydrosol mist sprays (rose, jasmin, neroli, chamomile and lavender). The lipsticks are only produced under the category of “cosmetics”, which as such contain no water.

With the boom of the green movement, it’s all too common to see cosmetics touted as all-natural when they’re anything but natural. Some brands may even have some organic certified ingredients. However, a careful look at the labels may reveal that the formula hides the usual cocktail of toxic chemicals.

Preservatives, in particular, are often not natural, may be petroleum derived, such as parabens, known to be harmful.

Finding organic solutions that would offer the same performance as traditional cosmetics has not been easy, but Song and Chalmers are dedicated enough to their ideals to practice what they preach. The company has paid great attention to emulsification issues, preservation and efficacy of the final product.  One of their best finds has been a natural citrus based preservative by UK firm Citrox Ltd.  “Using proprietary ingredients such as (those from) Citrox with a range of essential oils and extracts that have known anti-microbial functions allows us to increase shelf life to near comparable levels with our ‘chemical swill’ brethren.”, says Chalmers. Testing these mixes with various blends of our own, we are getting results that far outperform even the traditional parabens”.

Many cosmetics and skincare preparations have a pH problem, not with the formulation Jasmin got from Citrox. “A secondary benefit from using the Citrox natural formula is that it pulls the pH level down to levels that match normal skin, thus making the products easier to work with”, adds Chalmers. The results have been far better than Song and Chalmers expected. “We are launching our new Migaloo mid-priced certified organic range, with Citrox as the base preservative.”

Jasmin has proved it is possible to develop 100% natural cosmetics with organic certified ingredients that perform well. The line of over 100 products  is selling at selected spas and salons in Australia , China, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. Jasmin follows the Soil Association standards and has Australian OFC certification. According to Chalmers Jasmin is among the first, certified organic companies to ever pass the strict Chinese Ministry of Hygiene and CIQ import certification.

Over the past three years Song and Chalmers have developed a “show and tell” farm and manufacturing facility. Last year they hosted over 7,000 visitors. “We have given everyone a ‘first hand’ experience of both fresh organic produce and understanding how it is possible to manufacture skincare and cosmetics in an environmentally friendly way”, says Chalmers.
But the project does not end there. This year the firm undertook USDA certification and, once finalised, it plans to certify for the new EU organic standards.

The next stage is to move totally to wind and solar power generation, pay attention to a new concept of Jasmin’s themed stores and to focus on Europe, North America and the Middle East. A busy agenda ahead for an energetic duo and a lab sitting on top of a dream mountain.

Colombian Organic Firm

Posted - November 1, 2008

Daabon Sets Mood for a Greener Colombia

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Daabon Organic, a third generation family-owned business in Colombia, is run by Alberto Davila Diazgranados, affectionately known to all as Don Alberto. He has turned a family farm founded by his father in 1914 into a progressive international enterprise, a pioneer in sustainable agriculture and a leading grower and exporter of organic bananas, palm oil, cacao and coffee. Don Alberto is an easy to approach man who enjoys the company of others. He certainly meets many people, running a company that employs over 1500 people and deals with over 400 contractors.

Keeping a business alive for almost 100 years is a challenging task.What has been the formula to its success? “Being fair with yourself and others, listening, setting clear rules for all family and co-workers, and finding the best people who share your vision and will be involved to reach the goals,” he says. Don Alberto learned from his father’s experiences as a banana exporter and plans on keeping the management of the business where it started: in the family. His five children are all employed by Daabon Organic, and  a structure is in place to welcome the 4th generation into the company as well.

“They all can join but need to show genuine interest in what we do, study abroad, work first for another company.Everyone is free to stay or to sell and leave”, he says. “So far everyone is still in…and with clear responsibilities and area of work, like in any other company”.

How has Don Alberto been able to transform such a large business into a completely organic enterprise? Throughout the seventies and eighties Daabon introduced conventional farming of African palm, cotton and rice crops. Soon they were aware of the incredible amount of pesticides the rice and cotton crops required. “We were stuck in a vicious cycle spending lots of money in infrastructure to spray the fields up to 28 times per year!”. The bugs got resistant and more inputs were needed. His son Manuel, raised the concept of organic farming. There was a market, particularly in France. Daabon converted the farms in 1993. “In the tropics you really need to be careful of what you do. We do not have seasons, but a rich biodiversity to protect.”

Another key to their success was to convince small land owners from the surrounding communities to become organic, and to show them a way of thinking and a lifestyle that went beyond conventional farming methods. They worked patiently with their local partners at all levels to show them why organic was the best way to go.

To that end, Daabon has created farming co-operatives, in collaboration with the government, to ensure the farmers receive technical assistance and financial support. Don Alberto describes one of his most rewarding experiences - he and his wife co-signed bank loans on 188 small farms, to allow the farmers to borrow capital to purchase seeds and start their own organic palm tree plantations. The effort has brought a 94% success rate, as most farmers understood the benefits of the concept.

Don Alberto and his team are in the process of converting Daabon Organic into a carbon-negative enterprise. He realizes that it will be a lengthy process, but one that will offer customers a new standard in conservation.

Labels, Tests and Education

Posted - November 1, 2008

Dangers of Playing Hide and Seek with Product Labels

O.W.N. News Network – as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

In her new book Holler for Your Health: Be the Key to a Healthy Family,  author Theresa Holler addresses three problems that haunt the food and household product market: poor labelling, lack of proper testing and lack of education. Frequently, labels omit toxins, and the consumer receives scant information about them. Other products containing toxins can go onto the shelf without proper testing, turning consumers into guinea pigs.

This well referenced text grounded in science, offers tips on simple ways consumers may protect their family’s health from deadly commonplace toxins.

Holler warns against products with hidden chemicals, which can harm children and adults, and  lead to sickness, fatigue and obesity. But because of lax labelling regulations and trade secrets, the uninformed consumer cannot choose between good products and toxic ones.

Holler has a Bachelors degree in Biology, holds a Masters Degree in Primary Care Medicine and has completed Doctoral coursework in Medical Writing and Environmental Health. She is director of education for Project Wellness in Roanoke, VA and a public speaker. Holler for Your Health is available online at Amazon and from her website www.holler4health.com.

A portion of proceeds are donated to children who are dying alone in US hospitals.

Organic Cosmetics Standards

Posted - July 15, 2008

Varied Requirements, Little Regulation Bring US Lawsuit

Organic-branded cosmetics and personal care products are coming under legal question in the US. A lawsuit was recently launched by soap and cosmetics firm Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

The firm filed a claim that says the many organic labels and messages on personal care products that do not meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) standard are overly confusing to consumers.

Dr. Bronner’s makes various products that meet those strict standards. Its own packaging shows the green USDA organic seal.

Mislabelling through generic, non-NOP “organic” claims is “creating all kinds of organic noise,” said company President David Bronner. What “organic” means is unclear to consumers, he said: “In the personal care aisle, chances are it does not correspond at all to your basic expectation of what an organic label should be.”

Bronner’s filed the suit in California under a state law that considers what a “reasonable consumer” would expect a product claim to mean.

Petrochemical ingredients can slip into personal care because companies claim products are “organic” without certification. Little regulation exists. These firms place the word “organic” as large as they like on packaging. Certified firms must follow their standard’s packaging guidelines.

For now, the NOP is a reference point for companies wanting to do organic cosmetics “right”. Bronner’s and US natal-care products firm Earth Mama Angel Baby are two companies currently producing personal care products to that standard.

“There’s a huge controversy about the standards by which organic personal care products should be certified,” said Earth Mama founder Melinda Olson.

The NOP standard is meant for food, and thus bars some common personal care ingredients and processes that most manufacturers agree are safe.

“Asking personal care products to be certified to the NOP standard is like putting them against the wrong yardstick,” said Olson. Still, she said, Earth Mama will be following the NOP standard until a better one is developed.

Such development has been going on for years under NSF International. Bronner and Olson have both participated in the NSF process. Many insiders expect it to lead to a NOP personal care standard.

“It’s more or less done. The standard should be out the door later in the year,” Bronner said.

However, the OASIS standard recently announced by several firms (see story in OWN Summer 2008 print edition) raised alarm bells for Bronner. “OASIS is basically a breakaway from the NSF effort,” he said. Fearing this could create “organic” standards that allow ingredients and processes that Bronner feels should be barred, his firm eventually sued companies it felt were relevant.

Even firms named in the Bronner lawsuit are launching NOP products, suggesting demand for this category is growing. US Nature’s Gate launched a NOP Rainwater Lotions line late this Spring, with the 95% organic ingredient levels NOP requires.

“The line was developed for our customers who are increasingly seeking personal care products that mirror their commitment to organic agriculture and sustainable living,” said the firm’s Laura Setzfand.

The company “strongly supports the need for standards governing the use of the terms organic and natural,” she added. “We are currently evaluating the proposed standards.”

Brazilian Cosmetics

Posted - May 1, 2008

Beyond Raw Ingredients

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008

The bounty of Brazil’s rainforests provides many healing ingredients for everything from functional foods to jewellery. In the past, indigenous peoples have been often left out of related success stories. Raw ingredients are shipped off with no added value for the local economy.

Now the growing market for eco-friendly goods stimulates sustainable ways to preserve the forests and knowledge native experts have used for generations.

Brazilian cosmetics firms Florestas Organic Botanical, Surya Nature Inc., Reserva Folio and newcomer Maté Therapy chose to break the mould by processing in Brazil. Florestas capitalizes on local Brazilian expertise, says founder and managing director Fernando Lima. Working with Brazilian labs to test its naturally rich plant ingredients, the company offers fair prices to local producers and processes in Brazil.

“Florestas realizes advantages over large, foreign firms through its low-cost structure, production flexibility and access to exotic and effective organic certified products,” says Lima. “By eliminating the middleman with direct purchasing, Florestas cuts cost and pays higher prices to local families.” Besides Brazil, its Ikove-brand line is now in major US retailer Whole Foods, as well as in Japan.

Capitalizing on the richness and beauty secrets of India and Brazil is Surya Nature. Founder Clelia C. Angelon, an animal-rights and environmental activist, sources from both countries to produce her beauty products, exported to 20 countries, fifty percent of total sales.

Amazonia Preciosa, Surya’s certified organic personal care line, features the scent of the preciosa tree which grows only in the Amazonas. “This kind of smell, you can’t copy in the lab,” Angelon says.

“In Amazonas, people know the plants, but they don’t know how to classify them scientifically,” she adds. Surya funds a school to help locals formalise their knowledge of useful plants and a cooperative that creates jobs for the graduates.

A delicate collection of handmade jewellery made from Amazonas golden grass will soon be added to Surya’s offerings, a move to preserve more of the region’s forests. This grass grows only in the southern Amazonas. Nowadays, many locals burn these forested fields to raise cattle. “We are showing them that they can make more money by preserving and working with the golden grass than by raising cattle and destroying the environment,” Angelon says.

Founded in 2003, Reserva Folio also makes optimum use of Brazil’s environmentally-sound resources. Founder and managing director Simone Valladares embarked on the challenging mission to develop her Apicultural, Aromatherapy and Amazonic organic and natural personal care lines. “It is very difficult to develop new formulations and ensure the peformance consumers are used to from conventional brands”, says Valladares. Reserva Folio offers soaps with a strong natural fragance, making one think of sweeet rainforest airs. Brazilian crops featured include andiroba oil, cupuacu butter and Brazil nut.

The youngest Brazilian natural cosmetics firm made its debut at Expo West this Spring: Maté Therapy has an attractive line of toiletries in deep blue containers. Yerba maté is the key ingredient in the young firm’s products, so far body lotion, antiseptic soap and room spray.

The firm sources and processes in Brazil and has already found interested US distribution partners. “Working with local maté producers and then a local factory is not too difficult”, says company President Denise Vieira de Souza. Yet few firms opt to process locally due to the additional investment needed, she adds. In organics, strict manufacturing regulations must be followed - an effort that can cost a lot of money. “Most firms prefer only to export the ingredients,” she says.

Still, if native crops are harvested sustainably and in partnership with local growers, any way to share the Amazonas bounty deserves support. Brazilian Forest Natural Products sells high quality Brazilian produce and herbs in freeze-dried, extracted and tinctured forms, mainly to Asia, with Europe and the US as near-future markets.

“Brazil has a lot to offer”, says the firm’s international operations manager Reindert Dekker. “The quality and, in particular, the variety of natural products present in Brazil is amazing”.

According to Dekker, “the most exciting part is working with products that are completely unknown now, but, that in two years time may be on every breakfast table or in a new top perfume,” he adds. That’s a familiar feeling for the many firms now working for sustainability with Brazil’s natural bounty.

Yacon

Posted - May 1, 2008

Yacon: Natural Sugar Control

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008

A South American tuber grown in the Andes could offer valuable sugar control and immune system bonuses to the human body. The yacon, called an apple or pear of the earth for its sweet, crispy taste when washed and eaten fresh, grows between 1,500 and 2,500 metres above sea level. The Andean peoples have long used the root to ease health problems like liver ailments, says Dr. Cass Ingram, a natural health expert who has written a dozen books touching on functional foods such as yacon.

“South American traditional medicines have never been written about in common books. There’s been a lack of quality articles describing their ethnic use and the medicinal properties,” says Ingram, explaining yacon’s low profile. “No one has published about what the properties are.”

Yacon contains a high percentage of inulin, a fructo-oligo-saccharide or FOS. The body does not convert this class of sweet-tasting chemicals into energy, and so they rank a zero on the glycemic index scale. “This is the perfect functional food for resting the pancreas,” says Ingram.

Inulin mimicks better-known insulin, Ingram says, producing all kinds of health benefits. “Insulin has everything to do with how we digest our sugars and starches,” he says.

Good bacteria in the gut feed off the inulin, Ingram says. Yacon functions both as sugar control and as pro-biotic, thus boosting the immune system.

Caution is required to ensure a marketable product retains the benefits of the pure root. “We knew if we could keep it unprocessed, then it would be medicinal,” Ingram says of his early work with yacon.

Organic products derived from yacon are gradually becoming available in North America. Careful methods are required to ensure desirable inulin is obtained while unwanted fructose sugar, which occurs only in the root’s fibrous parts, is not. “If you don’t treat the product properly, what’s going to happen is that you will obtain only fructose sugar, which is not good,” says Jorge Urena, president and CEO of Uhtco Corporation. Uhtco is a well known supplier of organic yacon products, and the main importer to Canada.

Ingram worked with Urena and Uhtco’s partners in Peru to get organic yacon in its highest potency. “We asked him to make extracts that were unprocessed. No alcohol. No heat,” Ingram says. Working with small farmers in Peru and having built a Peruvian processing facility to house the required machines, Uhtco’s processing plant introduced yacon syrups and the line is expanding.

Yacon has a citrus, light caramel flavour, Ingram says. Urena prefers to use the syrups as a sweetener, while Ingram pours his over yogurt or other dairy products. “It’s more interesting for its aroma,” Ingram says, and its health properties.Whatever the impetus, many people today have far too much sugar in their diet and could certainly benefit from the natural, healthy powers of this exotic and not widely known “apple of the earth”.

OASIS

Posted - May 1, 2008

OASIS: New US Cosmetics Standard

By Adrian Larose - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008

A new industry-based organic cosmetics standard is attracting attention, and criticism, with respect to the question of how to define what qualifies as an “organic” personal care product.

The clear, legislated organic standards that exist for food are rarely used to certify personal care products (including cosmetics). According to some in the organic industry, the food standards are inappropriate for such use.

The draft OASIS (Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards) private cosmetics standard for US personal care products is already backed by about 35 firms, including large conventional companies such as L’Oreal and many small American organics firms. The draft standard is available for comment on-line at www.oasisseal.org until June.

A phase-in period beginning with an 85% organic requirement - counting water, a major ingredient in most cosmetics - to end at 95% just 4 years later is part of the draft, with restrictions on allowed ingredients in the remaining 5%. That has some groups insisting OASIS present itself as a “made-with organic” standard, not simply “organic”.

“We want a tougher list of allowed ingredients,” says Ronnie Cummins, co-founder and national director with the grassroots US Organic Consumers Association. “Certain preservatives and hydrogenated and sulphonated cleansers the draft allows are of concern “, he says.

But some chemicals are obviously necessary in cosmetics, counters OASIS. “You have to use chemistry,” says group chairperson Gay Timmons, with American ingredients firm Oh, Oh Organic. “We felt that the only way you could really do that was to identify those chemical processes and those chemicals that are environmentally responsible.” The OASIS standard follows US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on green chemical processes, notes Timmons.

The phase-in addresses hard-to-find organic ingredients such as surfactants. The group hopes OASIS participant purchases will support and increase organic production of these, allowing products to reach higher organic percentages over time.

The Organic Consumers Association insists the US National Organic Program food standards can be applied to personal care products. About a dozen companies currently have NOP certified organic personal care products, Cummins noted . Timmons advises that the number includes a few OASIS members , but the particularities of the NOP regulations do not work for all personal care categories.

A cease and desist letter has been sent to OASIS by the consumers association, asking the group not to make organic claims until its plans satisfy certain criteria. According to Timmons, such demands only undermine the standards-creation consensus process - she noted that the NOP food standard only developed after many diverse private standards were created.

“To suggest, or to demand as has occurred in this cease and desist letter, that this is something we shouldn’t do, I think it undermines the very process that has given us a fantastic law in the case of the NOP,” she says. “The federal government’s not going to regulate something so controversial that people are constantly screaming at each other.”

OASIS members are also participating in an on-going national process aimed at creating a USDA-regulated standard Timmons says, and in the meantime, OASIS makes sense. “How are you going to get 360 million people to agree? It takes a while.”