Much of the current political stoush over the rising price of oil centres around the impacts on ‘mums and dads’ struggling to put petrol into the car each week. However, the reality is that fuel is still under-priced and the core problem is one of sustainability, not oil supply. 

The debate about fuel watch or tax relief to make fuel five cents cheaper masks the need for real solutions such as making public transport work, mandatory fuel efficiency, and support for non-food liquid biofuels.

Except from Organic Advantage Ed 102 (30th May 2008) 

Recent heated debate in South Australia over just what foods should be included in schools' food nutrition programs has put additives and preservatives back on the national children's health agenda.

Concerns have been raised by politicians and nutritionists in the South that healthy school programs designed around low fat and low sugar diets will still have damaging health effects on hungry students because they do not factor in the negative effects of artificial colours, preservatives, flavours and flavour enhancers.  

Excerpt from Organic Advantage Ed 102 (30th May 2008) 

BFA and subsidiary company Australian Certified Organic have released for industry and stakeholder comment a new policy to deal with nanotechnology - ‘the science of the extremely tiny' - in the organic industry.

The policy, with final endorsement of industry, will be integrated into the Australian Organic Standard and put forward for consideration for inclusion in a base domestic safety net standard, due to be released by Standards Australia at the end of this year.

Excert from Organic Advantage Ed 102 (30th May 2008) 

By Gary Leeson

It is now a widely held belief amongst Crude Oil experts that we have reached ‘peak-oil'. The global maximum rate of crude oil extraction has been reached and any new crude oil field extractions will be less environmentally, socially and economically feasible.

This is an obvious problem for the petrochemical industry and for all levels of agriculture.  Globally millions of litres of highly refined petroleum oils (paraffinic oils) are applied to crops daily as spraying oils, adjuvants, carriers of pesticide actives or as actives themselves.