Monitoring for organic fruit und vegetables in Germany is big success

The German Organic wholesalers’ organisation Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) Herstellung und Handel has introduced a system to monitor fruit and vegetables in the organic trade under the framework of the federal programme for organic agriculture. Coordinated residue analyses have thereby become a permanent feature of quality assurance in the organic foodstuffs sector. Contamination from pesticide residues or mixtures with conventional growing aids are revealed and defects rectified. Possible cases of fraud are efficiently uncovered by means of all-embracing, coordinated and risk-orientated sampling. Conventional fruit and vegetables that are declared as "organic" are tracked down and kept off the market. Thus efficient, believable controls are established to prevent consumers from being cheated. A further goal of the monitoring system is to gather data on the contamination of fruit and vegetables with residues of pesticides. In addition, the expertise of wholesalers and retailers in these matters is significantly increased by regular communications.

The project to "introduce a system to monitor fruit and vegetables from ecological agriculture“ continues to be operated by BNN Herstellung und Handel after the ending of the state support since 1/1/2005 on a private law basis. It is open to all those suppliers of organically-grown fruit and vegetables that have an interest therein.

Contact:

BNN Herstellung und Handel e.V., Ebertplatz 1, D - 50668 Köln,
Phone: 0049 (0) 221 139756-44, Fax –40,
e-mail: bnn.herstellung.handel@n-bnn.de
Internet: www.n-bnn.de

Coordination:
Dr. Sylvia Lorenz
Phone: 0049 (0) 221 139756-35, Fax -40,
e-mail koordination@n-bnn.de

Advice:
Dr. Sylvia Mahnke-Plesker
Phone: 0049 (0) 221/ 139756-45, Fax -40,
e-mail mahnke-plesker@n-bnn.de

Advisory Council
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt1_en.html

Type, scope and procedure of monitoring action
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt2_en.html

The analysis results and the further procedure
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt3_en.html

Database
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt4_en.html

Cooperating laboratories
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt5_en.html

Costs
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt6_en.html

Participants
http://www.bnn-monitoring.de/monitoring/projekt7.html