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Newcastle Leads Pan-European Organic Food Project
June 18, 2004Newcastle University is leading a new £12m. project which is investigating why the taste and nutritional value of our food is decreasing and how and why organic farming can be a solution to these problems.
The project includes 31 partners from across Europe and is funded by the European Union.
Organic farming minimises or completely avoids the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.
Scientists at Newcastle University are growing test crops which include cabbages, lettuces, carrots, potatoes and wheat at theUniversity's agricultural research centre, Nafferton Farm, Northumberland.
These are being grown under a variety of conditions in order for the research team to compare factors such as taste and nutritional quality between vegetables which are grown organically and those which are grown using chemicals.
The Europe-wide project is called QualityLowInputFood (QLIF) and aims to improve quality, safety and productivity along the European organic food chains. Organic farming is the best-known low-input system.
QLIF is expected to make a significant impact on increasing the competitiveness of the organic industry to the benefit of European consumers and farmers.
It will encompass the whole food chain from fork to farm for protected crops (tomatoes), field vegetables (lettuces, onions, potatos, carrots cabbages), cereal (wheat) and pork, dairy and poultry.
It will measure consumer attitudes and expectations, develop new technology to improve the quality of organic foods and will assess the social, environmental and economical impacts of growing things organically.
Partners in the project come from 31 research institutions, companies and universities based in countries which include the UK, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, France, Poland, Austria, Portugal, Greece, the Czech republic, Israel, Turkey and Finland.
Project leader, Professor Carlo Leifert, leader of Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at the University of Newcastle, said:
"We need to find out what is behind reports which have proved that the taste and nutritional value of our foods is deteriorating.
"There are more and more indications that moving to natural production systems, such as organic farming, can improve food quality.
"This project will attempt to find out why this is the case, and how we can further improve on these production systems."
The first set of results from the project will be presented at a conference which will run from January 6 to 9 2005, to be held at Newcastle University.
The Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health Congress will be attended by leaders from the growing industry as well as academics.
Organic farming is one of the most dynamic sectors of agriculture in Europe but also faces substantial challenges to meet consumers' demands for safe, high quality and affordable food.
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