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Policy Gap: The European Union is funding a major project to learn about how 
different production systems effect the quality and safety of food. This 
project brings our attention to a significant gap in nutrition policy: seldom 
considering food security from a consumer's perspective, the added 
nutritional value of organic food is often neglected. Foodnews invites reader 
responses on this issue.
Improving quality and safety and reduction of costs in the European organic 
and low input supply chain
June 15 2004
The European Union is funding a new 18M Euro Integrated Project 
'QualityLowInputFood' that aims to improve quality, ensure safety and improve 
productivity along the European organic and other "low input" food supply 
chains (see project website: www.qlif.org for details).


The Integrated project will involve thirty-one research institutions, 
industrial companies and universities (listed below) throughout Europe and 
beyond. , with a total budget of 18 million Euro. Five of the eight 
industrial partners are Small to Medium size Enterprises and all eight are 
involved in the production, processing or quality assurance of organic food. 
Thus, this Integrated Project integrates the critical mass of activities and 
resources needed to achieve ambitious scientific and technological objectives.

The research will encompass the whole food chain from fork to farm for 
protected crops (tomato), field vegetables (lettuce, onion, potato, carrot, 
cabbage), fruit (apple), cereal (wheat), pork, dairy and poultry. It will 
measure consumer attitudes and expectations, and will develop new 
technologies to improve nutritional, sensory, microbiological and 
toxicological quality/safety of organic foods. All the project's innovations 
will be assessed for their socio-economic, environmental and sustainability 
impacts.


The research will provide meaningful information that is currently lacking on 
the extent to which differences in production systems affect nutritional 
value, taste and safety of food. The project is expected to make a 
significant impact on increasing the competitiveness of the organic industry 
to the benefit of the European consumers and organic farmers.

Major results from the integrated project and other completed or ongoing 
European research projects will be reported at the "Organic Farming, Food 
Quality and Human Health Congress" which will be held between the 6th and 9th 
of January 2005 at Newcastle University. The conference is aimed at farmers, 
processors, traders/retailers, consumer organisations and other stakeholders 
in the food supply chain (see www.qlif.org for details).


Low input for high returns
European citizens want agriculture to provide tasty, safe, affordable and 
nutritious food without damaging the environment. "Low input" farming 
minimises or completely avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and 
fertilisers. The best known low input system is organic farming, which is one 
of the most dynamic sectors of agriculture in Europe, but also faces 
substantial challenges to meet consumers' demands for safe, high quality, 
affordable organic food. The European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme 
(FP6) has allocated 685 million Euro for research and development in the area 
of Food Quality and Safety, such as "safer and environmentally friendly 
production methods and technologies and healthier foodstuffs", "impact of 
food on health"; and "traceability processes all along the production chain". 
The project 'QualityLowInputFood' brings together European expertise in an 18 
million Euro Integrated Project to improve quality, ensure safety and reduce 
cost along the European organic and "low input" food supply chains.


Start with the Consumer .

One of the first investigations will ask consumers what they want from low 
input foods, and measure what they actually buy, to determine what producers 
need to do to satisfy consumer demand. Other researchers will compare 
"low-input" and conventional products for qualities such as nutritional 
value, taste, shelf life, and processing characteristics, and for risks 
related to reduced fertility, pathogens and toxins from fungi. The aim here 
is to understand how these benefits and hazards can be optimised and 
controlled throughout the chain.


Then the Producer .

Based on this, scientists will develop novel techniques to produce better  
products as cost-effectively as possible, and disseminate them to 
professionals in the food industry. Focus here will be on farm-based research 
in cereals, vegetables, dairy, poultry and pork production. For example, 
agronomists will test different management strategies for improvements in 
soil fertility, disease, weed and pest control to improve yields of high 
quality, organic plant foods, while livestock experts will assess how 
improved husbandry methods and feeding regimes can improve the nutritional 
quality of organic milk and minimise parasites and bacterial infections in 
pig and dairy production.


The project involves 31 partners, including Universities, Research Institutes 
and industrial companies. Five of the eight industrial partners are Small to 
Medium size Enterprises and all eight are involved in the production, 
processing or quality assurance of organic food.


Each year of the project, a major congress will be held to present the 
results of this and other projects on organic and "low input" agriculture to 
representatives of producers, processors, retailers, consumers and other user 
groups. The first major congress will take place between the 6.-9. January 
2005 at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyner, UK and has been jointly 
organised with the Soil Association, one of Europe's major organic farming 
organisations. In addition to first results from the integrated project major 
outputs from other R&D projects funded by the EU, national governments and 
industry will be presented. Details can be found on the project website 
(www.qlif.org).

 Partner List

1.      University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Overall Co-ordinator, England, UK)

2.      Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (Academic Co-ordinator, 
Switzerland)

3.      Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming/Danish Institute of 
Agricultural Sciences (Denmark)

4.      Praktijkonderzoek Veehouderij BV (Netherlands)

5.      University of Kassel (Germany)

6.      Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (England, UK)

7.      University of Wales, Aberystwyth (Wales, UK)

8.      Louis Bolk Institute (Netherlands)

9.      Alma Matur Studiorum - Universitat di Bologna (Italy)

10.  Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France)

11.  Warsaw Agricultural University (Poland)

12.  University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna 
(Austria)

13.  Universidad de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal)

14.  Technological Educational Institute of Crete (Crete, Greece)

15.  Vysoka Skola Chemickotechnologicka v Praze, Prague (Czech Republic)

16.  Bar Ilan University (Israel)

17.  University of Helsinki (Finland)

18.  TUBITAK-Marmara Research Centre (Turkey)

19.  University of Bonn (Germany)

20.  University of Basel (Switzerland)

21.  Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (Wales, UK)

22.  Universitat Hohenheim (Germany)

23.  Universita Politecnica della Marche (Italy)

24.  Granarolo SPA (Italy)

25.  Roger White and Associates (England, UK)

26.  Guaber SPA (Italy)

27.  Anidral SRL (Italy)

28.  Gilchesters Organics (England, UK)

29.  Agro Eco Consultancy B.V. (Netherlands)

30.  Swiss Federal Dairy Research Station, Liebefeld (Switzerland)

31.  Groupe de Recherche et d'Echanges Technologiques (France)

 More information


QualityLowInputFood Website:            http://www.qlif.org


Project co-ordinator:                      Prof. C. Leifert, University of 
Newcastle, Nafferton                                                          
Farm, Stocksfield, NE43 7XD, UK.

                                                Tel. +44-1661-830222; e-mail: 
qlif@ncl.ac.uk



Academic co-ordinator:             Dr Urs Niggli, Research Institute of 
Organic

                                                Agriculture (FiBL), CH-5070 
Frick, CH.

                                                Tel. +41-62-8657270; e-mail: 
qlif@fibl.ch


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