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Safety, Nutrition, and Health Aspects of Organic Food

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Organic Farming for Sustainable Agriculture

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development and Biodiversity ((SDEB,volume 9))

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Abstract

With the growing popularity of organic food, more and more attention is being paid to the safety, nutrition, and health aspects related to organic food. Consumers are having higher expectations for organic foods for their benefits to the environment, animal welfare, worker safety, and the safety, nutrition, and health benefits of the products. This chapter discusses the differences between organic and conventional food regarding their safety, nutrition, and health perspectives. This chapter covers products from both plant and animal origins such as fruits, vegetables, seafood products, meat, and dairy products. Microbiological and chemical hazards are addressed as safety indicators for the comparison of organic and conventional products. The levels of nutritional components and their related health benefits are also compared between organic and conventional products. Due to the limited database, it is premature to conclude that either system is superior to the other. At present, no information is available yet to ascertain whether the differences in the levels of certain chemicals between organic and conventional foods are of biological significance. More data is needed to advance the knowledge on the safety, nutritional quality, and health benefits of organic foods versus conventional foods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, 3500, John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville, TN, USA

    Ying Wu, Li Wang & Ankit Patras

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  1. Ying Wu
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  2. Li Wang
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Correspondence to Ying Wu .

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  1. Agricultural and Environmental Scie, Tennessee State University, Nashville Tennessee, Texas, USA

    Dilip Nandwani

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Wu, Y., Wang, L., Patras, A. (2016). Safety, Nutrition, and Health Aspects of Organic Food. In: Nandwani, D. (eds) Organic Farming for Sustainable Agriculture. Sustainable Development and Biodiversity, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26803-3_4

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