In September we celebrate Australian Organic Awareness Month, one of the largest campaigns to promote all things certified organic, from fresh produce, packaged food and beverages to cosmetics and skincare.
With 50 years of organic and biodynamic farming under our belts, we are proud to say that all our products carry the Australian Certified Organic (ACO) ‘Bud’ stamp of integrity, considered one of the most respected standards in the world for organic production.
Every year, our products and processes are rigorously tested through every step of the ACO process, from how we manage our paddocks all the way through to the packaging of our products.
As sustainable, regenerative farmers, we take a holistic approach to our farming practices, from the health of our soil through to our plants, animals, food, people and the environment in which we live and operate, to ensure everything works harmoniously. And of course, all our products are grown and processed without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, fertilisers or GMOs.
Each year we are audited by ACO Certification Ltd, Australia’s largest certifier for organic and biodynamic produce, to ensure we comply with the relevant standards – in our case, the Australian Certified Organic Standards.
Three Areas Where Schulz Ensures Organic Certification
Traceability
Ensuring our products are traceable from Grass to Glass is one of many steps in our organic certification journey, says our boss Simon.
“We ourselves are audited annually to make sure that all the products, all the feed, all the grain to all the ingredients that we put into our farm and processing are certified organic from an authentic source. Anyone that uses our products to produce their own certified organic products requires proof we are certified during their own audit, this way you can be confident that the whole supply chain has integrity.
So there's this authenticity across the chain if you're buying certified organic products.”
Animal Health
We’ve spent generations refining organic farming to produce the healthiest cows and most sustainable methods. We use no chemicals, hormones, herbicides or pesticides on our farm, to minimise the impacts of chemical use on the land and our livestock.
Organic is not just ‘chemical free’. It is a holistic means of growing and handling the things we consume; the whole system is linked – soil, plants, animals, food, people, environment. ‘Certified Organic’ products are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers or GMOs. Just pure, simple, natural. We are held to account by our certifiers that we are doing what we say we are.
The health of our cows determines not only the quality, but the safety, of the milk. Thanks to modern food science and the wisdom of traditional farming practices, we now know that the production of safe milk relies on optimum cattle nutrition and health.
Healthy cows = healthy milk. It’s as simple as that for us here at Schulz.
Labelling
So how do you know if a product is certified organic when looking on the shelves?
“Look for the bud Logo! We’re proud to be audited by ACO, to find out more about their work check out their website,” Simon says.