Effects of Organic Production on Food Quality

The internet is rife with biased and unsubstantiated claims from the organic industry, and the treatment of issues such as food safety and quality by the media ("if it bleeds, it leads") tends to have a negative impact on consumer perceptions about conventional food. Consumers in many countries opt to buy organic food over conventional products, resulting in a radical shift in food retailing. The main drivers for this behavior include concerns over chemical residues, food poisoning, scares such as “mad-cow” disease, issues such as genetically-modified (GM) foods, antibiotics, hormones, cloning and animal welfare issues. As a result, there has been an expansion of the organic industry and a huge increase in the popularity of organic foods at farmers’ markets, supermarkets and specialty stores. But is there evidence that organic food products are tastier, more nutritious or even free of chemical residues? This volume is the first comprehensive text on how organic production methods influence the quality and safety of foods, based on an unbiased assessment of the international scientific findings and the results of food monitoring programs in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Documented findings related to the nutritional quality, safety and “healthfulness” of organic food are assessed, as well as findings related to the motivation of consumers to buy organic food. In Organic Production and Food Quality the food industry, researchers and academics in all relevant fields will find an authoritative and up-to-date source of unbiased information on how organic production affects food quality. The assessment will allow the concerns of consumers to be adequately addressed, relevant marketing programs established and appropriate information disseminated. The…