IN a bid to clear up confusion consumers suffer at the supermarket checkout, Standards Australia has released its own criteria for certifying a product is genuinely organic.

The Organic and Biodynamic Products Committee, a branch of Standards Australia, published a draft standard on Monday and has invited people to submit their comments.

Following the submission period, Standards Australia will review the submissions.

It will publish the completed standard later this year.

The aim is for the standard to be used as a benchmark and the certification consumers look fot.

According to Standards Australia deputy chief executive officer Colin Blair, the voluntary standard will create a fairer environment for everyone from the producers to consumers.

It will set up national criteria which producers must follow to gain Standards Australia’s organic certification.

“At the moment, consumers looking to buy organic products have no uniform guarantee of quality and integrity,” Mr Blair said.

As well as creating a criteria for producers, the draft will also clearly define what is considered organic.

It will also help protect consumers from misleading labelling and guide farmers converting to organic farming.

Canowindra organic producer, Sam Statham said the initiative pleased him.

However, he is concerned the interests of consumers and grassroots level producers may not be given as much weight as the interests of larger corporations.

He added the standard may not be subject to the same level of public input as he hopes.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.

Standards Australia is a non-government body which develops standards for a wide range of industries.