‘OFLAB’ Clearinghouse, or known as Organic Food Label Clearinghouse aims at creating awareness among all stakeholders on the organic food labels found on products in the Malaysian market.

Project
This project is jointly implemented by Selangor Consumer Association (SCA) and Consumers International (CI) under the grant, known as Green Action Fund, awarded by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) with the aim to raise awareness about sustainable consumption with an emphasis on environmental issues.

The 2013 theme for Green Action Fund highlight problems associated with the use of chemical pesticides in farming and promote farming methods without use of chemical pesticides (for example organic farming).

What you can do in the Clearinghouse?

• Find out the existing organic labels in Malaysian Market
  • Organic Food Labels
  • Gallery
  • News and Events
• Increase awareness and build trust with labels
  • Standards, Certification, Labeling
  • FAQ / Contact us or even contact respective organic labels certification body

What is Organic Farming?

• Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) defines it as a method of agriculture where no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are used.
• The International Federation for Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) defines the "organic" term as referring to the particular farming system described in its Basic Standards (refer to Standards, Certification and Labeling).  

   STATISTICS OF ORGANIC INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA

• In reality, the organic food market is a niche that equates to less than 1% of the total food and beverage market in Malaysia today. The arbitrary definition of organic food and drink makes it difficult to accurately collect data. Thus, data like market size, growth rates and sales channel breakdown are estimates based on trade interviews (The South-East Asian Market for Organic Food & Drink, Organic Trade Association 2006).
• Prior to 2000, there were less than a handful of private organic farms, mainly small sized farms which supplied to a small number of local consumers in the vicinity of the farms. From 2001, under the encouragement of the government, organic farming grew from 131 hectares in 2001 to 2,367 hectares in 2007. In addition, organic fertilizers are also produced locally to support this growing niche agricultural sector, and today, organic fruits, organic vegetables, organic rice, organic chicken and fresh eggs are produced in Malaysia. Most of the organic products are sold domestically, with some being exported to Singapore. Currently, only locally grown organic vegetables and fruits are certified as organic by the Agriculture Ministry.
• There are now around 88 organic farms, of which about 49 are still valid and certified as organic farms that supply the organic market, whereas 39 certificates which already expired. 

Vegetables and Fruits

The foods called "vegetables" include:

• Fruits (e.g. tomatoes and pumpkins)
• Leaves (e.g. amaranth and cabbage)
• Roots (e.g. carrots and turnips)
• Stalks (e.g. celery)
• Flowers (e.g. cauliflower)

"Vegetable" is a useful term both in nutrition and in domestic terminology.

The fruits are:

• grown wild
• cultivated

The varieties available at any one time in a given area depend on the climate, the local tastes for fruit, the species cultivated and the season. A few fruit-trees would be a useful addition to all households, both urban and rural.

In developing countries:

• Nearly all types of vegetables are eaten soon after they are harvested
• It is not uncommon for rural people in parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa to forage for an important proportion of the vegetables they consume. With increasing population, however, the availability of wild fruits and vegetables is decreasing. Therefore vegetables are obtained from the farm or the household garden or from the marketplace, neighbours or small stalls along the roadside. When rural families with low income move to an urban environment they may resent having to purchase vegetables, because they are used to being able to gather wild ones or grow their own. They may therefore spend relatively little on this component of the diet. 
• Vegetables grown in home and school gardens could be a valuable source of food for the family and the school and could make an important nutritional contribution, particularly to micronutrient intake. Home gardens can be raised with spare family labour and the participation of women and children. It is therefore important for most rural households and virtually every school to devote more time to growing vegetables. A community garden near the village source of water is often a useful adjunct to the villagers' own backyard gardens.

(Source: Foods composition tables, nutrition requirements and food balance sheets, FAO)