Estonian consumers attitudes to organic food

The study of 740 Estonian occasional consumers has shown that 60 % of them are willing to buy organic products mainly because these contain fewer additives than conventional products. Therefore the consumers consider them first of all more natural and healthier. Preferred products are organic vegetables and fruits. Consumers prefer to buy them from supermarkets. Common awareness about organic farming needs improvement – only 11% of consumers felt themselves entirely informed

Mahetootmise keskkonnamõjud läbi olelusringi

Euroopas tuleb hinnanguliselt umbes 30% kogu eratarbimise keskkonnamõjudest toidusektorist, kuid näiteks veekogude eutrofeerumisse panustab toidutootmine isegi 60% ulatuses (Tukker jt., 2006). Jätkusuutliku toidutootmise arendamine, mis vähendaks oluliselt keskkonnakoormust, on EL-i strateegiline eesmärk. Keskkonnasõbralike tehnoloogiate valikul tuleb mõõta nende mõjusid läbi olelusringi ehk võtta arvesse ka vajalike sisendite tootmise keskkonnamõjusid. Vastasel korral võib soovitav keskkonnakoormust vähendav muudatus ühes tootmise etapis põhjustada hoopis suuremaid keskkonnamõjusid teises etapis. Artikkel annab lühiülevaate mahepõllumajanduse keskkonnamõjudest läbi olelusringi võrreldes tavapõllumajandusega

Mahetoit lasteasutustes

Overview of good practises introducing organic meals in schools and kindergartens in different countries

Quality of Organic vs. Conventional Food and Effects on Health

This report analyses the nutritional quality of organic and conventional food as well as the health effects of pesticide residues, nitrates, mycotoxins and artificial additives and gives an overview of animal and human experiments

Organic farming research in Estonia

The growth of organic farming in Estonia has been rapid in recent decades. To support this development various research projects have been conducted but still a lot of new knowledge is needed to improve the performance of organic sector. Organic agriculture is based on nutrient recycling and it uses a variety of practices that are valuable also for conventional farming in the future because resources of non-renewable synthetic fertilizers are limited and food should be produced more sustainably. Holistic perspective including ecological, economic and social aspects is needed for organic farming studies and future projects should target these issues more thoroughly

Mahetoit: loomulik ja kasulik

Eesti Maaülikoolis analüüsiti rohkem kui 150 maailma eri paigus tehtud mahe- ja tavatoidu kvaliteeti võrdlevat teadusuuringut ning koostati selle põhjal ülevaatlik aruanne (Quality of Organic vs. Conventional Food and Effects on Health), mis on elektroonselt kättesaadav www.pickfi ber.eu ja mahekeskus.emu.ee

The Challenges Organic Food Processors Meet at Small Emerging Market – Estonian Case

Organic farming and demand for organic products is continually a growing trend all over the world (Willer et al., 2013). In Estonia the share of organic land is 15% of all agricultural land and the number of organic farmers is also growing (Vetemaa, Mikk 2013). Estonian organic food market is still in forming stage being affected by local organic farming development, marketing situation, economic situation and consumer attitudes. Organic processing has clearly not kept up with organic farming development and market demand so far. At the end of 2012 there were 158 certified processors, but most of them are just packaging or storing, not producing new products (Agricultural Board). Market share of organic food products is marginal (1,6% of total food market in 2011 according to official statistics (TNS Emor 2012a) and significant share of organic raw material is still processed as conventional food. There have been studies of organic farming topics but no knowledge about the challenges and perspectives of organic food processors. The main purpose of the study was to find out the current situation of organic processing companies in Estonia: what is the structure and characteristics of companies; how do they evaluate compliance with legal regulations and requirements related to organic processing; what are their main problems; how do they see the future of their business and organic market

Quality of organic vs. conventional food and effects on health : report

ReportOrganic methods in farming are considered as environment friendly, mainly due to a fundamental principle of harmonious cooperation with nature and the lack of chemization. There is already a lot of evidence that the condition of the environment, soil and groundwater improves as a result of organic farming (Haas et al., 2000); it is also considered to improve crop quality. The regulations which specify organic plant and animal production are very strict, and adhering to them should result in high product quality. A similar situation concerns organic food processing. Although currently conventional processing allows several hundreds of different types of food additives (colourings, fixing agents, improvers, etc.), organic processing allows only several dozen such additives, mainly natural substances. This creates challenges for organic food processors as they have to preserve product durability without the use of chemical agents. However, this is fundamentally important for consumers who are increasingly searching for healthy food

The metabolomic fingerprinting and microbiological quality of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in different organic growing systems

The aim of present study was to find out the influence of green manures as winter cover crops and their combination with composted cattle manure on metabolomic fingerprinting and microbiological quality of winter wheat in a crop rotation experiment in three organic systems (ORG 0, ORG 1, ORG 2) at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in 2012

The metabolomic fingerprint and microbiological quality of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in different organic growing systems "TILMAN-ORG Session"

In organic agriculture, soil fertility is essential for harvesting high quality crop yields. Plant nutrient cycles should be kept short and as closed as possible. Therefore, it is important to have sustainable growing systems that have rotations with appropriate crops and cover crops. In organic farming green manures and cattle manure are also used to ensure fertile and biologically active soil and to enhance biodiversity. Green manures offer supporting services, such as nutrient cycling, promotion of beneficial insects for pest control and soil formation. Also the catch crops on winter period are essential to reduce nutrient leaching (Stark and Porter, 2005). Growing system does not only influence the soil fertility, but through that also the quality parameters of crops (Olesen et al, 2009; Mäder et al, 2002). In recent years food metabolomics has been used as a novel method for `fingerprinting` or for ´profiling´ food samples (Hajšlova et al, 2011). `Fingerprinting` of food samples enables to perform comparative analyses aimed at detection of differences. ´Profiling´ is used for identification individual, differential sample components (both primary and secondary metabolites). Production system and interaction among the microbial population are important factors that also affect food safety and shelf life (Guerzoni et al., 1996). Among the microorganisms, some moulds, yeasts, bacteria, and viruses have both desirable and undesirable roles in our food. Most bacteria, moulds, and yeasts, because of their ability to grow in foods, can potentially cause food spoilage, however mere microbial presence does not reduce the quality of food, except in the case of some pathogens (Ray, 2005). The aim of present study was to investigate the influence of green manures as intercrops and these combined with composted cattle manure on microbiological quality and metabolomic fingerprinting of winter wheat in a crop rotation experiment in three organic systems at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in 2012