Biological Farmers of Australia, or BFA, has announced a name chance to "Australian Organic" this week, which owns the Australian Certified Organic "bud" mark logo.

According to the group, the name-change is not due to unattainable supermarket pressure to reach "biodynamic standards", but simply "better reflects the business" which is made up of more than just farmers.

Biological Farmers of Australia was the name given to a not-for-profit organisation formed by a group of farmers 25 years ago. It was initially established to support organic farming before moving into certification.

Chair of the Australian Organic Ltd board, Dr Andrew Monk said that the name change was necessary due to the larger group of people that now comprise the organic industry in Australia.

"Biological Farmers of Australia was a great name that reflected the origins of the company, at a time when organic as a brand was not well understood; however now the company is made up of farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers committed to growing organics in Australia," Dr Monk said. "We needed a stronger brand that supports the company's long term goals and clearly says what we are about," Dr Monk added. According to Australian Organic, the Australian Certified Organic brand is already well known amongst many Australians, "so it made sense to adopt a similar name for the parent company." The name Biological Farmers of Australia will be retained by Australian Organic and used to promote activities around farmer education.

The iconic bud logo, which is synonymous with organic products in Australia, will remain in use but not in retail promotion.

Some food industry commentators have observed that the development of the new Australian organic standard several years ago, and volume growth in demand for organic products in Australian supermarkets, has led to greater influence by supermarkets over organic production.

It is believed that not all organic producers would have met the previous biodynamic standards but were able to achieve the accreditation for "organic" under the new organic standard.

Australian Food News