Did you know the truffle industry in Australia has a peak body? Its called the Australian Truffle Industry Association and it has been working in the background for years supporting the work of truffle growers, truffle distributors and more recently, those in hospitality to adopt best practice when it comes to truffle. In this blog post, we report on our chat with former President and now Vice President of the Association, Noel Fitzpatrick, and the Association's work to ensure the truffle you purchase are of the highest quality and that you get value for money when ever you purchase those glorious black diamonds produced on Australian truffle farms.
Who is the Australian Truffle Industry Association (ATIA)?
The ATIA is the leading body that guides truffle growers in Australia on best practices for growing, distributing, and marketing truffles. However, its membership extends beyond just growers. It includes truffle sellers, tree inoculators, researchers, and anyone involved in the truffle industry.
Incorporated in 2006, the ATIA represents the truffle industry across Australia. It was established to foster industry development and facilitate knowledge sharing, communication, and engagement with government and stakeholders. If you're interested in learning more or attending their annual conference, you can visit their website here.
What is ATIA up to lately?
The Australian Truffle Industry Association (ATIA) is currently developing an ‘Industry Best Practice’ truffle production program called 'TruffleCare'. This initiative focuses on the production of high-quality Australian truffles, and it's something you should be aware of.
‘TruffleCare’ has been in development for over 18 months. To gather input from stakeholders across the truffle industry, an extensive consultation process took place before this season’s truffle hunting started, allowing us the opportunity to provide valuable feedback.
Do other industries have these kind of programs?
Yes, they do. The olive industry, for example, has a similar program called 'OliveCare'. The olive industry's code of best practice was initially established in 2005. When the code was expanded to include other olive products and industry quality standards, it was relaunched in 2017 as "OliveCare®".
OliveCare® provides a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing best practices for both on-farm and post-farm operations. This includes production, harvesting, sustainable natural resource management, olive processing, oil storage, packaging, and product distribution. OliveCare® also incorporates good business practices with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) style production controls, on-farm biosecurity, and pest and disease management.
Accredited producers participating in the OliveCare program display the OliveCare logo on their products. As consumers, when we see this logo on Australian-produced olive products, we can confidently purchase, knowing the olive oil is of the highest possible quality. The TruffleCare program and accreditation have been adapted from the OliveCare program.
When should I start looking for the TruffleCare logo?
Well, producers and other industry stakeholders are currently being invited to participate in a test and trial pilot of the program, so with any luck, you should start to see those logos next truffle hunting season. You will certainly see them on our truffles.
And that’s it for now. A blog post about TruffleCare, a logo to look for so you can purchase Australian grown truffle with confidence. I hope you liked it. If you did, please feel free to share the joy with your friends and fellow truffle lovers. If you've got any truffle stories or questions, as always, we're all ears.
Ciao for now truffle lovers.
Carmine
Comments