Special aspects of ecological farm management on pre-harvest food safety in meat and milk

Summary

Consumer expect organic food as safe and healthy. The standards of organic farming are able to prevent contaminations and diseases effecting human health direct and indirect:
· Direct food safety means the prohibition of specific production and processing inputs. Organic farming is minimising the use of external inputs (positive lists), the prohibition of synthetic fertilisers, pesticids, preservatives and additives, no GMOs and irradiation, no human waste water slurry (heavy methals, chemical hazards etc.) on fields, no preventive use of antibiotics, double withhold period after veterinary treatments as well as no hormons in animal production.
· Indirect food safety means the protection of the abiotic and biotic environment. Ground water is not contaminated by pesticide residues, veterinary drugs, nitrate, heavy methals, air is not polluted by pesticids and fungicids while application or dust from animal houses.
But, the labelling as “certified organic“ is no warranty for safe food in general. Food safety controll is not part of the organic farming certification process. Contaminations of animal products like meat and milk through chemical and natural residues in feeds and diseases are possible even under organic standards. Safety hazards can occur, if the production was not done properly or due to effects which are not controllable by the farmer (environmental contaminations).
Food safety standards and food hygiene requirements (e. g. food safety programmes based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point HACCP and Maximum Residue Limits MRLs) are equally valid for conventionally and organically produced food and need to be controlled.