Handbook of Organic Food Safety and Quality Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science Technology and Nutrition Hardcover

With increased consumer pressure to reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary medicines and growth promoters in food production systems, demand for organic food continues to rise. Safety and quality scandals have hit the industry in recent years and consumer confidence will only remain high if the safety, quality and health of organic food benefits are assured. This handbook provides comprehensive coverage of the latest research and best practice in ensuring the safety, sensory and nutritional quality of foods from organic and low input production systems to enable professionals to meet consumer demand for safe and high quality foods. Contents......Page 6 Contributor contact details......Page 14 1 Introduction......Page 22 Part I Organic food safety and quality: introduction and overview......Page 28 2 History and concepts of food quality and safety in organic food production and processing......Page 30 3 Nutritional quality of foods......Page 46 4 Quality assurance, inspection and certification of organic foods......Page 62 5 A new food quality concept based on life processes......Page 74 6 Food consumers and organic agriculture1......Page 95 Part II Organic livestock foods......Page 116 7 Effects of organic and conventional feeding regimes and husbandry methods on the quality of milk and dairy products......Page 118 8 Effects of organic husbandry methods and feeding regimes on poultry quality......Page 138 9 Quality in organic, low-input and conventional pig production......Page 165 10 Organic livestock husbandry methods and the microbiological safety of ruminant production systems......Page 199 11 Reducing antibiotic use for mastitis treatment in organic dairy production systems......Page 220 12 Reducing anthelmintic use for the control of internal parasites in organic livestock systems......Page 242 13 Alternative therapies to reduce enteric bacterial infections and improve the microbiological safety of pig and poultry produc......Page 262 Part III Organic crop foods......Page 284 14 Dietary exposure to pesticides from organic and conventional food production systems......Page 286 15 Levels and potential health impacts of nutritionally relevant phytochemicals in organic and conventional food production syst......Page 318 16 Improving the quality and shelf life of fruit from organic production systems......Page 351 17 Strategies to reduce mycotoxin and fungal alkaloid contamination in organic and conventional cereal production systems......Page 374 18 Reducing copper-based fungicide use in organic crop production systems......Page 413 19 Pre-harvest strategies to ensure the microbiological safety of fruit and vegetables from manure-based production systems......Page 434 Part IV The organic food chain: processing, trading and quality assurance......Page 452 20 Post-harvest strategies to reduce enteric bacteria contamination of vegetable, nut and fruit products......Page 454 21 Fair trade: a basis for adequate producers’ incomes, farm reinvestment and quality and safety focused production......Page 475 22 Development of quality assurance protocols to prevent GM-contamination of organic crops......Page 487 23 Integration of quality parameters into food safety focused HACCP systems......Page 511 Index......Page 531 Due to increasing consumer demand for safe, high quality, ethical foods, the production and consumption of organic food and produce has increased rapidly over the past two decades. In recent years the safety and quality of organic foods has been questioned. If consumer confidence and demand in the industry is to remain high, the safety, quality and health benefits of organic foods must be assured. With its distinguished editor and team of top international contributors, Handbook of organic food safety and quality provides a comprehensive review of the latest research in the area.

Part one provides an introduction to basic quality and safety with chapters on factors affecting the nutritional quality of foods, quality assurance and consumer expectations. Part two discusses the primary quality and safety issues related to the production of organic livestock foods including the effects of feeding regimes and husbandry on dairy products, poultry and pork. Further chapters discuss methods to control and reduce infections and parasites in livestock. Part three covers the main quality and safety issues concerning the production of organic crop foods, such as agronomic methods used in crop production and their effects on nutritional and sensory quality, as well as their potential health impacts. The final part of the book focuses on assuring quality and safety throughout the food chain. Chapters focus on post-harvest strategies to reduce contamination of food and produce, and ethical issues such as fair trade products. The final chapters conclude by reviewing quality assurance strategies relating to specific organic food sectors.

The Handbook of organic food quality and safety is a standard reference for professionals and producers within the industry concerned with improving and assuring the quality and safety of organic foods.

• Improve the safety, quality and health benefits of organic foods
• Discusses the latest research findings in this area
• Focuses on assuring quality and safety throughout the food chain

Due to increasing consumer demand for safe, high quality, ethical foods, the production and consumption of organic food and produce has increased rapidly over the past two decades. In recent years the safety and quality of organic foods has been questioned. If consumer confidence and demand in the industry is to remain high, the safety, quality and health benefits of organic foods must be assured. With its distinguished editor and team of top international contributors, Handbook of organic food safety and quality provides a comprehensive review of the latest research in the area. Part one provides an introduction to basic quality and safety with chapters on factors affecting the nutritional quality of foods, quality assurance and consumer expectations. Part two discusses the primary quality and safety issues related to the production of organic livestock foods including the effects of feeding regimes and husbandry on dairy products, poultry and pork. Further chapters discuss methods to control and reduce infections and parasites in livestock. Part three covers the main quality and safety issues concerning the production of organic crop foods, such as agronomic methods used in crop production and their effects on nutritional and sensory quality, as well as their potential health impacts. The final part of the book focuses on assuring quality and safety throughout the food chain. Chapters focus on post-harvest strategies to reduce contamination of food and produce, and ethical issues such as fair trade products. The final chapters conclude by reviewing quality assurance strategies relating to specific organic food sectors. The Handbook of organic food quality and safety is a standard reference for professionals and producers within the industry concerned with improving and assuring the quality and safety of organic foods. Improve the safety, quality and health benefits of organic foods Discusses the latest research findings in this area Focuses on assuring quality and safety throughout the food chain