For local food company Ceres Organics, the concept of organics isn't just about food that tastes great and is free from chemical additives. It's about looking after our planet, by protecting the health of our soil, waterways and the air that we breath. It's about about treating growers and workers fairly, paying a fair price for their products, and providing safe working conditions. And it's about encouraging biodiversity and protecting our wildlife. Most importantly, it's about protecting our future.

The issue of plastic packaging has been troubling the team at Ceres Organics for years. "As an organic business, having a positive impact on our planet is at the heart of everything we do, and reducing our reliance on traditional plastics is a big part of this," says CEO, Noel Josephson.

CERES ORGANICS/SUPPLIED

Having a positive impact on our planet is at the heart of everything Ceres Organics does; several of their breakfast mixes come in reusable glass jars.

After many years of working closely with their packaging partners to develop an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic packaging, robust enough to protect their untreated organic products from infestations, oxygen and moisture, Ceres Organics launched their first home compostable bag in 2017. Transparent, resealable and triple-layered to lock in the freshness of the food inside, without the need for artificial inputs, it was the first of its kind in the market.

What differentiates this revolutionary packaging is that it is specially designed to break down in a domestic compost bin, while a lot of other compostable options you will find need the higher temperature of a commercial composting facility (there are only a few of those in the country that actually take packaging).

Since launching their first product in this innovative packaging solution, Ceres Organics have extended it's use to more and more products in their range. They now offer their high-quality grains, their popular Classic Muesli Range, and more recently their Super Good Muesli, and core flour ranges in home compostable packaging.

Home compostable packaging isn't the only sustainable packaging solution Ceres Organics have been working on. They have just relaunched their popular Paleo Breakfast Mix in a stylish glass jar (glass is the company's first choice of packaging and used for about 20 per cent of their products). They have also added a new, exciting variant to the paleo breakfast family, brimming with nutritious nuts and seeds, their Epic Paleo cereal also comes in a reusable glass jar.

It's all part of the company's ongoing commitment, not just to organic food, but to the wider environment.

The Ceres Organics story started back in 1982, when a young Auckland mother set upon a mission to make organics accessible to ordinary New Zealanders at affordable prices.

More than 37 years later, Ceres Organics is New Zealand's leading organics company, offering over 400 organic products for your pantry needs. Two of the company's founding directors, Noel Josephson and Rodnie Whitlock, still work in the business, and are deeply passionate about keeping the Ceres Organics spirit alive.

"It's fundamental to the Ceres Organics philosophy that we source the healthiest, highest quality organic foods from suppliers all over the world who we know and trust to be socially and environmentally responsible," says Noel. "We're not a faceless international corporation, we're a homegrown Kiwi company that cares."

To find out more and buy the Ceres Organics muesli range online visit ceres.co.nz.

Originally posted here:

One quick change you can make today to help save the planet - Stuff.co.nz