Food safety in anFood safety in an

organic perspectiveorganic perspective

1414thth IFOAM Congress, Victoria, Canada IFOAM Congress, Victoria, CanadaAugust 22August 22ndnd 2002 2002

Erik Steen Kristensen, Research director, Ph.D. Erik Steen Kristensen, Research director, Ph.D.

agri.agri.Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming

(DARCOF)(DARCOF)

Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming

DARCOF

• Co-ordinates danish research in organic farming

• Budget of 5.5 mill. Euro per year• “Centre with-out walls”• 140 researchers from 20 institutes• 42 research projects covering topics of plant-

and livestock production, agriculture and society (environment, economy etc.)

More info: www.darcof.dk

Outline

• Definition of food safety• Food safety in the product• Food safety in the agri-food system• Conclusions• Perspectives for further development

Agri-food safety problems

• Discovery of animals with BSE• Increased occurrence of Salmonella in meat and

eggs• Increased occurrence of campylobacter in meat• Listeria in dairy products• Increased occurrence of dioxin in food and fodder• Too high amounts of pesticides, antibiotics,

additives etc. in food• Toxic fungi in food from stocks• Food criminality: vine containing wood alcohol,

polluted cooking oil etc.• Pollution of drinking water with pesticides and

nitrate• GMO polluted organic food products• swindle: sale of conventional products as organic

Consumer concerns, Eurobarometer

• 68% of Europeans are concerned about safety of food

• Consumers are most concerned about:– Labelling– Traceability of foodstuffs– GMO

Genevni (2001)

The DSR

frame-work

for under-standing food safety

• Farm input/output of N• Pesticides input use• Animal feeding and

treatment• Consumer perceptions• Technology• Specialisation

• Content of elements in the

food• Labels of the

food type

modified from OECD (1997)

• Authorities• Agri-food industry• Consumer• NGO

Driving forces State

Responses

Definition of food safety

• safety for non-illness of the food

• safety for healthy food

• safety of the declaration

• safety of the label

Agri-food system safety:

• safety of supply• safety of distribution• safety for transparency

and nearness• safety for influence• safety for information• safety for no negative

impacts on humans, other living organism, environment etc.

Product safety:

Driving force for food safetyContent in organic com-pared with conventional

Possible consequencesfor health

Conse-quences forhealth at ac-tual levels

Positive Negative

Dry matter (higher)Protein (lower)C-vitamin (higher)Carotene (lower)

No No Lower N-level

Nitrate (lower) Carcinogenic (nitrosamine) Positive Lower N-levelPhenol (higher) Preventive against cancer

and cardiovascular disease? Ban of pesticides

(Dapple-grey)Mycotoxins (higher) Liver, kidney, the nerve

system, carcinogenicNegative Ban of pesticides

(mould fungi due tobad storage)

Heavy metals (lower) ? Positive Ban of syntheticfertiliser

Residues of food addi-tives (lower or zero)

Food intolerance (chil-dren), Carcinogenic (ni-trosamine)

Positive Ban of syntheticadditives

Residues of growthregulators and otherpesticides(lower or zero)

Reproduction, nerve sys-tem, immune system, car-cinogenic

Positive (chil-dren, preg-nant/ embryo)

Ban of pesticides(growth regulators)

Positive and negative consequences for health and safety in plant

products

Modified from O´Doherty Jensen et al. (2001)

The Danish consumption of pesticides in food

(g per day )

Product type DK From abroad TotalFruit and vegetables 58 104 162Cereal and cereal products 21 5 27Animal food products <1 <1 <1Fish and fish products <1 <1 <1Drinking water <1 <1 <1Total 80 110 190

Büchert (1998)

Driving force for food safetyContent in organic com-pared with conventional

Possible consequencesfor health

Conse-quences forhealth at ac-tual levels

Positive Negative

Fat acid: CLA (higher) Preventive against cancerand arteriosclerosis

Positive More grass fodder

C-vitamin (higher) ? No Lower N-levelHeavy metals(same or higher)

? Negative ? (local conditions)

Mycotoxins (aflatoxin)(zero)

Liver, kidney, the nervesystem, carcinogenic

Positive Ban of importedconcentrate(mould fungi)

Salmonella and Campy-lobacter (higher/ lower)

Infections Both positiveand negative

Extended accessto out-door areas(livestock density)

Compulsory use ofroughage (intesti-nal bacteria)

Extended accessto out-door areas(infections)

Residues of medicine(lower)

Transfer of resistancegenes to humans patho-gens

Positive No prophylactics Double retention

time

Positive and negative consequences for health and safety in animal

products

Modified from O´Doherty Jensen et al. (2001)

The consumption of antibiotics in Danish agriculture in 1996

Bennedsgaard et al. (1998)

Fodder medicine

1%

Growth promoters

68%

Medicine31%

Conclusions• Health and food safety are important motives to buy

organic food

• Food safety: product and agri-food system safety

• Product safety tend to be higher in organic farming:

– lower N-level lower nitrate content

– ban of pesticides no pesticide residues

– no prophylactics, double retention time lower residues of medicine

• Agri-food system safety tend to be higher in organic farming:

– more nearness and transparency from farmer to consumer

– more information through labelling of organic food

– lower impact on the environment

Food, non-food,bio-mass

Waste/manure

Nature

SocietyAgr

icul

ture

Soil/biology

Basic principles of organic farming

• principle of circulation

• principle of

precaution

• principle of

nearness