Food safety in an organic perspective 14 th IFOAM Congress, Victoria, Canada August 22 nd 2002 Erik Steen Kristensen, Research director, Ph.D. agri. Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming (DARCOF) Erik Steen Kristensen, Research director, Ph.D. agri. Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming (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:

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:

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 ) Büchert (1998)

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)

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 Society Agriculture Soil/ biology Basic principles of organic farming principle of circulation principle of precaution principle of nearness