Scientists from Wageningen UR Livestock Research and Plant Research International (both part of Wageningen University and Research Centre) are advocating better communication on the possible food safety risks of organic products. In an article in the December 2009 edition of scientific magazine Journal of Food Protection, the scientists argue that the lack of openness on this subject could damage public confidence in the organic sector in the future.
“Organic cattle farm systems have many benefits compared to the more commonly used systems, especially with regard to animal welfare,” says scientist dr. Bastiaan Meerburg of Plant Research International. “While communication aimed at consumers is usually focused on this aspect, it rarely includes the fact that the open character of the organic animal husbandry systems could lead to more instances of bacteria, viruses, parasites and contaminants. Those infections could end up in the food chain.”
Concrete examples of possible infections are the Toxoplasma gondii parasite in pig meat and increased levels of dioxin in organic eggs. Although these specific problems can be solved easily, producers and distributors have the responsibility to make their products as safe as possible, for instance by testing the dioxin levels of organic eggs or via the precautionary freezing of pig meat to render parasites harmless. At the same time consumers have to prepare the product correctly.
The scientists state that current communication from the organic sector sheds little light on the food safety risks. “We believe this to be undesirable. Consumers should know that certain risks are inherent in the choice of keeping animals in a more natural and animal-friendly environment. Balanced information would allow them to make better decisions on whether or not to purchase certain organic products, which in turn could prevent unpleasant surprises that could unnecessarily harm the image of the organic sector."
Wageningen UR’s stated mission is ‘to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. With over 6,300 employees and 9,600 students from over 100 countries, the university’s global domain ranges from healthy nutrition to the living environment, working for both governments and corporate clients. Wageningen UR’s strength comes from the combination of two specialised research institutes (Wageningen University and the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences) and its cooperation with various nature and social scientific disciplines. Wageningen UR’s approach is to achieve scientific breakthroughs that can be easily and quickly translated into practice and education.