Underlying Principles in Organic and “Low-Input Food” Processing – Literature Survey

Summary

This publication contains a literature survey about the processing of organic and low-input food.
The survey gives an overview of the development of standards and regulations for processed organic food, describes the concept of natural nutrition, the appropriate technology approach, minimal and careful processing.
It highlights some consumer perceptions of organic food quality. For four different product groups (organic fruit and vegetables, cereals, milk and meat products) the main challenges in organic food processing are described. The main principles in organic food processing are identified.
The literature review was carried out as part of the European funded project Quality of Low- Input Food. This project aims at improving quality, ensuring safety and reducing costs along the European organic and “low input” food supply chains through research, dissemination and training activities.