Bioacademy 2006 - Conference B
Quality of Organic Food – Eating Organic!
Garant: Dr. Alberta Velimirov, FiBL
Conference B was devoted to Quality of organic food. This, of course, does not mean simply replacing conventional food with organic alternatives, but an essential change in the whole deep-rooted system of eating.
Such a change includes all individual parts of the food chain from agricultural production to a meal on the plate - quality of production processes and quality of nutrition. Quality of production processes involves all steps of production including transport. Quality of nutrition relates to selection of quality food, composition of diet, storing and preparing food.
The range of food is richer than ever, definitely in the western part of the world, so we might ask why food is an issue for us at all? The dark side of this enormous choice is in diseases caused by food (allergies, certain types of cancer, diseases of joints, hormonal disorder, heart and circulatory condition, tooth decay, obesity, digestive disorder), as well as scandals relating to food production (BSE, dioxins, hormones, antibiotics…).
Consumers lose the feeling of security, and as explained in the first lecture by Dr. Burtscher from Global 2000, Vienna, they are right: The lecture dealt with insufficient risk-assessment of harmful substances and explained the discrepancy between approved maximum values of harmful substances which are set on the basis of correct agricultural practice, and acute reference doses (ARfD) derived from the impact of harmful substances on human health. ARfD is the amount of toxic which is acceptable as a daily intake for a person without endangering their health in a recognizable way. Mr. Burtscher also pointed out that a certain quantity limit cannot be set for many carcinogenic compounds as they are dangerous in any amount.
Prof. Hajšlová (Department of Food Chemistry & Analysis, Institute of Chemical Technology of Food) specified other dangerous substances contained in food - natural plant poisons, mycotoxines and those that develop during food processing: acryl-amid and furan in heated food. Despite wide knowledge of protecting food from chemicals, new problems appear all the time which require continuous improvement of growing and breeding methods and securing the food chain including processing, packaging and distribution.
Vít Syrový (an independent food consultant, Prague) focused his lecture on additives used in food processing and emphasized the difference between the number of additives permitted for conventional food - 310, and those approved for organic processing - 36. The prohibition of hazardous substances brings greater guarantee of harmlessness.
Established dietary habits bring problems which require development of an alternative, sustainable system. Quality of food plays an important role. Some lecturers shared their experience linked to this issue. Dr. Brandt (Univ. of Newcastle upon Tyne) first introduced the qualitative advantages of organically produced food. Her lecture culminated in a hypothesis that people eating organic food, live longer. It is based on epidemiological survey and estimates a 1 - 2 year increase of life expectancy achieved by doubling the intake of vegetables in human diet. This effect is attributed to health-beneficial vegetable substances (vitamin C, phenols, carotenoids, glucosinolates…). There are a number of comparative studies proving that through organic farming it is possible to increase the amount of these healthy substances by 50%. Such a conclusion, together with the results of epidemiological studies, suggests that consumption of organic food might help to further prolong life-span.
Food produced without the use of synthetic auxiliary substances shows equal, if not better, quality compared to conventional food. This is confirmed not only by chemical-analytical research but also through numerous complex methods of research. Such methods have been developed mostly in the last few decades, aiming at evaluation of quality in a more complex way, according to this principle: a whole entity is more than just the sum of its parts. Synergetic effects in an organic entity are the centre of research, as well as vitality and non-linear conjunctions characterizing biological systems. Amongst the most important are especially experiments on animal feed, measuring biophotonic emission, and bio-electricity, experiments relating to nutrition and tasting, anthroposofic methods or test on degradability.
Prof. Klima (Professor emeritus, formerly active at the Technical University in Vienna) talked about biophotons. Every living cell emits a certain type of very weak light - biophotons - which help self-regulation and coordination with all other cells. “Biophotonics” has now become one of the most hopeful fields of modern science and technology. As biophotons and their impact are important in physiological meaning, intensity of their emission reflects the physiological state of cells and thus whole organisms. In comparative studies of oat and wheat germ, carrots and beef from various sources, organic products showed qualitatively better results.
R. Kappert (Dept. Of Applied Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Vienna) has been investigating bioelectrical characteristics of soil and products for a long time. P-value is an approximate value characterising activity of electrons and is derived from pH-value, redox potential and electrical conductivity. The lower the measured value, the better the reductive (anti-oxidative) ability of electrons, which means the healthier a given foodstuff. In these tests, fresh foodstuffs originating from organic agricultural production often won outright.
Finding qualitative characteristics of products is very important, but, after all, in eating it is about consequences. How, actually, does organic food affect consumers - animals, people?
Comparative studies, dealing with feeding hens, rabbits and laboratory rats, showed a positive influence on the quality of eggs (hens), successful breeding, behaviour and coping with stress. In experiments focusing on feed selection, animals, especially laboratory rats, when given a comparative offer, instinctively chose well cultivated organic food.Still, do organic products taste better to people as well? And what effect does consuming organic food heve in general?
Dr. Meltsch (LVA Food Testing & Research Institute, Vienna) gave a summary of sensory testing methods which can be used in investigating quality of organic food. The difference in taste is perceived very strongly. The results of 3-way tests of strawberries confirm the preference for organic varieties in most cases.
The most interesting, but also most difficult experiments are those focusing on human diet. Dr. Lieber (Agricultural Section, Goetheanum, Switzerland) explained an as yet unique pilot experiment carried out in a convent. This experiment showed that a change in the menu from deep-frozen ready-made food to freshly prepared food positively affected the immune system, while a following change to organic food increased physical, psychological and mental health of the nuns. The significance of the results will have to be defined and discussed for further studies on nutrition.
However, these results also illustrate the opinion mentioned at the beginning: eating organic means more than simply consuming organic foodstuffs without a change in dietary habits. A diet composed according to modern dietary recommendations gives vegetable food priority while meat should be only a side-dish. This highly corresponds with the organic way of farming - larger areas for plants and fodder plants, more space for animals, smaller herds of cattle etc.
Mag. Kaiblinger (gutessen Consulting OEG, health-diet consultancy company, Vienna) devoted her lecture to these connections. A health-friendly diet requires correct composition regarding the body’s needs and the highest-quality ingredients. Still, in most recommendations high quality is simply ignored. She also stressed that nutritional behaviour is much more affected by external factors such as social status, job, hobbies and recreational activities than dietary recommendations. As eating out plays an increasingly bigger role in current lifestyle, very positive changes might be achieved by concrete changes in the range of common catering services (large-scale and canteen kitchens, meals provided in schools and companies, restaurants).
The last lecture given by Dr. Hauser (Dept. of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Institute of Organic Farming, University of Agriculture, Vienna) took us to countries which, in contrast to ours, fight poverty.
To discuss quality in this context seems to be nearly awkward. But the link between export of feed for more intensive meat production and deforestation is well known. Even here, consumption of organic food in the western world might help, as it does not support the use of imported feed in animal husbandry. In difference to a so-called green revolution or currently celebrated genetically modified crops, implementation of organic methods might mean a sustainable solution to shortage. For countries suffering from poverty, organic farming is basically very suitable as it does not require the use of auxiliary substances or purchase of expensive seed. Improvement of soil by organic fertilizers brings higher yield (up to 100%, while in highly developed western countries, conversion of agriculture to organic system results in lower yield, especially during the transformation period.) Suitable seed can be utilized for traditional nutrition and maintains the independence of the producer etc. Despite this, ecological projects in developing countries are not always suitable for local people. To reach the goal of “food for all”, regional and local needs must be the centre of attention.
Conference B of the Summer Academy presented “eating organic” as an alternative dietary system from different points of view. “Eating organic” could be briefly characterized thus: If considering individual nutritional requirements and relevant dietary habits, organic food not only contributes to physical, but also mental and social health - the consumer has a good feeling of doing something for the environment, quality of water, animal protection and sustainable development for later generations.
The most important thing is in an essential change of thinking, because, as Einstein said: “We cannot solve problems with the same attitude that caused them.”
previous
next
Home
HistoryProceedingsExcursions Photogallery Scientific Conference Conference for Practice
© 2008
UP Olomouc, PRO-BIO, Czech Republic