Food & Beverage Development

Organic Food

Essay

Student Name: Manuel Handlechner
Programme/Course: BA Hospitality Management

Key words: organic food, health, local food, organic farming, slow food

In recent decades, rapid changes in the health status of children and adults have occurred in most developed countries. An increase in prevalence of several chronic diseases, such as obesity and degenerative pathologies affects all age groups. These diseases are strongly associated with food intake and food choices. (Bellisle 2003) According to Magkos et al. (2006) consumer are concerned about the safety and quality of conventional food in recent years. He argues further that the preference for organic food is associated with multiple factors. Nowadays people are more interested in animal welfare, environmental protection and personal health. Harper (2002) claims that people know too little about the additives of conventional food, such as hormones, pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics. The fact that consumers purchase organic food mainly for health reasons is supported by many other researchers. (Klonsky 2000, Makatouni 2002, Fillion and Arazi 2002)
Organic food is the fastest growing sector of the food market in Australia, Northern America, Japan and Europe. Nonetheless the sales of organic food still account only 1 % of the total food market. The growth in many countries is between 20 and 30 per cent annually (Makatouni 2002). More and more people try to be ethical. A number of surveys have identified that a key factor of purchasing organic food is because of ethical reasons. Being ethical and being an ethical consumer means purchasing products which do not harm the society or the environment. This could be as complex as boycotting goods produced by child labour or as simple as buying free-range eggs. Organic food is produced according to a set of principles and standards concerning such issues as pesticides, additives, animal welfare and sustainability. (BBC UK) Sales of organic food in the UK have increased dramatically in recent years. According to the latest Soil Association Organic Market Report, sales were up by 30 per cent in the UK on the previous year. (Soil Association UK, 2006) Klonsky (2000) stated:

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"The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole" (p.239).

Organic agriculture can not 100% ensure that the products are free of residues, but methods are used to minimize pollution to soil, water and air. The aim of organic agriculture is to optimize the productivity and health of interdependent communities of soil life, animals, plants, and people. According to Makatouni (2002) organic food is perceived as food without "chemicals" and "growth hormones" and the goods are "not intensively" produced and are grown "naturally."

Several studies and surveys (Stolze et al. 2000, Magnusson et al. 2001, Gil and Soler 2006) compared organic and conventional systems of farming. The general findings of these surveys pointed out that organic farming is less damaging for the environment because:

- Organic farms are better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems. (Animals as well as populations of insects and plants)

- Organic farms do not use synthetic pesticides; therefore they do not release them into the environment. Some of these pesticides could harm water, soil and local terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.

- Organic farming is producing less waste and they are using less energy

Magkos et al. (2006) claim that properly processed and organic grown foods are not necessarily free from synthetic chemicals and other pesticides of conventional farming. Consumers are willing to pay significant price premiums to obtain the goods because there is a widespread belief that organic food is safer and healthier than conventional food. A recent study for example reported that a number of organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues were present in the soil environment and tomatoes cultivated in line with the organic standards, and despite that such chemicals have never been applied on the farm (Gonzalez et al., 2003 quoted in Magkos et al. 2006). Volatilization, surface runoff, wind dispersion, and subsequent redeposition by precipitation of pesticides applied in the surrounding areas have been suggested to contribute to pollution of "non-target" areas such as organic farms.

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