Australia’s macadamia industry has once again been awarded 100% compliance in the National Residue Survey (NRS), taking its unbroken record of perfect scores into its 24th year. Our macadamia industry has participated in the survey every year since its inception in 1996, scoring 100% compliance on every occasion – a record that remains unmatched by any other Australian fresh product.
The program involves the testing of Australian macadamias for a range of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and environmental contaminants, which ensures the macadamia industry can meet quality assurance and market access requirements for domestic and international markets.
According to the survey summary, “The results highlight excellent compliance with Australian standards and demonstrate the strong commitment of the macadamia industry to good agricultural practices. The consistently excellent compliance rates help maintain the reputation and integrity of Australian macadamia nuts in international and domestic markets.”
These findings are testament to the dedication of Australia’s macadamia growers and processors and prove the benefits of our industry’s determination to work with nature as much as possible. Pest-suppressive landscapes to promote biodiversity have been extensively implemented by growers, bringing balance to the natural environments in which orchards are planted and helping beneficial insects that suppress harmful pests to thrive. The use of biological controls to combat pests and disease have long been embraced by the industry, with the best-known initiative being the introduction of the Trichogramma wasp as a natural and highly effective tool in the fight against nut borer.
Consumer insights research recently commissioned by Australian Macadamias proved unequivocally that provenance matters to today’s consumers, with 82% globally saying origin is important to them when purchasing macadamia nuts, and 90% of Australian consumers and more than 50% of consumers surveyed across Asia and the US ranked Australia as one of their most appealing origins of macadamias.
With shoppers more conscious than ever about the source and safety of food product ingredients, these latest results provide the highest level of assurance about the purity and quality of Australian grown macadamias, for both consumers and manufacturers alike.
