Natural and Organics Expo review

This is my second year at the Natural and Organic Expo, you can find the review for last year here. As I predicted, the expo has grown and improved. I really enjoyed my visit and was pleased to see how well attended it was.

Last year I made a comment that there was a large amount of imported organic products on offer, which kind of defeats the object of organic from an environmental perpective (as opposed to a health perspective). So I was pleased to see this year that they had a section called Love Fresh Love Local which was dedicated to local organic producers and processors and was sponsored by the national department of agriculture.

It is also exciting to see how the major grocery stores are going green. Woolworths recently won an award for being the most responsible retailer, so I was surprised that they did not exhibit at this expo. Pick ‘n Pay was there in full force, showing off their ever growing range of organic products. I tried their new organic coffee which was excellent. Checkers was also there, promoting their free range, all natural lamb, another great product. It was quite strange that Pick ‘n Pay and Checkers had similar sized stands, yet Pick ‘n Pay was promoting a huge range of organic products while Checkers was just promoting their lamb. I wonder if Checkers is moving in the green direction or not? I just hope that these retailers realise that it’s not just about organic, we want local. They need to make it easier for the small, local farms and suppliers to get their produce/products on the shelves.

Like last year, there was a stage which always had something happening. The schedule listed 52 presentations including interesting things such as:

-> How good is good enough – the role of standards and the lack thereof
-> Beware of the big bad greenwashers
-> The environmentally friendly clothing design competition
-> 10 Simple steps for sustainable living
-> Building your green home

Apart from all that there were tons and tons of stands showing products of all kinds, from food to magazines to building to gardening (and don’t forget the organic wine). There was something of interest for everyone, even the literature they give you when you go in included a booklet with lots of useful info on various green topics. The Natural and Organics expo is a great way to spend a few hours.