Submission Form for including your FP6 project information in the EPSO online FP6 project finder

FP6 Priority: 5 Food Quality and Safety; 5.4.1 area: Total Food chain

Projects Acronym: QualityLowInputFood

Start and Ending date: 1^st March 2004 to 28^th February 2009

Budget: 14.4 M Euro (EU-contribution)

Name Coordinator: Prof. Carlo Leifert

Full Address: Nafferton Ecological Farming Group,

University of Newcastle, Nafferton Farm, Stocksfield, Northumberland NE43 7XD

Full Title: Improving quality and safety and reduction of cost in the European organic and “low input” food supply chains

Contract number: 506358

Integrated Project (IP)

1. Project Summary

This integrated project aims to improve quality, ensure safety and reduce cost along the European organic and “low input” food supply chains through research, dissemination and training activities. It focuses on increasing value to both consumers and producers and on supporting all components of the food chain, using a fork to farm approach. To achieve the overall aim the project has  four  objectives:

Objective 1  To improve the match between producer’s aims and consumer expectations regarding quality and nutritional value of organic and other ”low input” food.

Objective 2. To increase the cost-efficiency all along the organic and other ”low input” food chain, while improving or maintaining its quality.

Objective 3.  To contribute to minimising food safety risks all along the food chain (including the stages of production, processing, distribution and consumer food handling).

Objective 4. To contribute to reducing environmental impact and fossil energy use in organic and ”low input” farming..

The work to achieve the four objectives is organised in seven subprojects. Each subproject comprises a number of activities (work packages). The relationship between objectives and subprojects is as follows:

(1)           Objective 1  To improve the match between producer’s aims and consumer expectations regarding quality and nutritional value of organic and other ”low input” food.

This is achieved mainly through activities under:

Subproject 1.  which will identifying consumer expectations perceptions and actual buying behaviours towards organic and low input foods to enable such farming systems to be developed “in tune” with consumer expectations.)

Subproject 2.  which will quantify the effect of current organic and “low input” management practices on the nutritional, sensory, microbiological and toxicological quality/safety of foods

         Subproject 3.   which will develop strategies to improve quality and safety and reduce cost

of production in organic and “low input” crop production systems

Subproject 4.    which will develop strategies to improve quality and safety and reduce cost of production in organic and “low input” livestock production systems

         Subproject 5.   which will develop a framework for the design of “minimum” and

                                 “low input” processing strategies, which ensure or improve food quality and

....................... safety

(2)         Objective 2. To increase the cost-efficiency all along the organic and other ”low input” food chain, while improving or maintaining its quality.

This is achieved mainly through activities under:

         Subproject 3.   which will develop strategies to improve quality and safety and reduce cost

of production in organic and “low input” crop production systems

Subproject 4.    which will develop strategies to improve quality and safety and reduce cost of production in organic and “low input” livestock production systems

         Subproject 5.   which will develop a framework for the design of “minimum” and

                                 “low input” processing strategies, which ensure or improve food quality and

                                 safety

Subproject 6.    which will develop strategies which improve quality and safety and reduce cost along the supply chain and HACCP based quality assurance systems

(3)         Objective 3.  To contribute to minimising food safety risks all along the food chain (including the stages of production, processing, distribution and consumer food handling).

        This is achieved through specific activities (=workpackages) under subprojects 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6:

        Workpackages 2.2.3, 3.4, 4.3, 4.6, 5.2 and 6.2  which quantify potential effects of components of food production and processing systems on enteric pathogen transfer risks in the pork, dairy, beef and field vegetable/lettuce food chain and

        Workpackages 2.1.1, 3.2.1, 3.3.1 and 3.5.4  which quantify potential effects of components of cereal production systems on the risk of mycotoxin contamination of grain.

        Workpackage 6.2 which will develop improved Hazard Analysis; Critical Control Points based quality assurance systems and provide training courses for professionals involved in quality assurance in further and higher education and the food industry.

(4)         Objective 4. To contribute to reducing environmental impact and fossil energy use in organic and ”low input” farming. This is achieved mainly through:

Workpackages 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 which will identify improved weed control and fertility management practices which minimise environmental impact and improve the sustainability of crop production

        Workpackage 7.1  which will carry out socio-economic and environmental impact                        assessments on innovations developed under Subproject 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

(The steps and work to be carried out to achieve objective 4 are described in a logical framework format in Table 2.3.4).

.   

The project consortium includes 31 partners (including 8 industrial partners, 5 of which SME’s)  and expects to recruit up to 5 new partners through open calls. The work programme focuses on the development of technologies which address important “bottle necks” in the organic and low input food supply chains.  One of its strength is a matrix structure which encompasses the whole food chain from fork to farm for a wide range of sectors including: protected crops (tomato), field vegetables (lettuce, onion, brassicas), fruit (apple), cereal (wheat), pork, dairy and poultry/eggs.

The project will rigorously estimate the effects of production systems on nutritional value, taste/sensory quality and safety of food. Such validated information is not currently available. The project will transfer its results to end users. It is expected to make a significant effect on increasing the competitiveness of throughout the organic and “low input” food supply chains in a number of sectors to the benefit of the European consumers.

See attached Table below.

Full addresses for the partners can be found on the project website (see section 7 below)

Projects Web Link: www.qlif.org

This Form was completed by – Name:

Prof. Carlo Leifert

Affiliation to the project:           Co-ordinator

Submission Date of this form:  05-03-05

Participant. Role*

Participant. Number

Participant name

Participant short name

Country

Date enter project**

Date exit project**

CO

1

University of Newcastle upon Tyne

UNEW

UK

1

60

CR

2

Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau

FiBL

CH

1

60

CR

3

Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming/Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences

DARCOF/DIAS

DK

1

60

CR

4

Praktijkondersoek Veehouderij BV

RIAH

NL

1

60

CR

5

University of Kassel

KU

D

1

60

CR

6

Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association

CCFRA

UK

1

60

CR

7

University of Wales, Aberystwyth

UWAL

UK

1

60

CR

8

Stichting Fenomenologische Natuurwetenschap: Louis Bolk Instituut

LBI

NL

1

60

CR

9

Alma Mater Studiorum – Universita di Bologna

BU

I

1

60

CR

10

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

INRA

F

1

60

CR

11

Warsaw Agricultural University

WAU

PL

19

60

CR

12

University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna

BOKU

A

25

60

CR

13

Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro

UTAD

P

1

60

CR

14

Technological Educational Institute of Crete

TEIH

EL

1

60

CR

15

Vysoka Skola chemicko-technologicka v Praze

ICT

CZ

1

60

CR

16

Bar Ilan University

Bar-Ilan

IL

19

60

CR

17

University of Helsinki

UHEL

FIN

1

60

CR

18

TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center

TUBiTAK

TR

1

60

List of Participants (cont.)

Participant. Role*

Participant. Number

Participant name

Participant short name

Country

Date enter project**

Date exit project**

CR

19

University of Bonn

IOL

D

1

60

CR

20

University of Basel

UNIBAS

CH

1

60

CR

21

Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research

IGER

UK

1

60

CR

22

Universitat Hohenheim

UH

D

1

60

CR

23

Universita Politecnica delle Marche

UPM

I

1

60

CR

24

Granarolo S.p.A.

GRAN

I

1

60

CR

25

Roger White and Associates

WFL

UK

1

60

CR

26

Guaber S.p.A.

Guaber

I

25

60

CR

27

Anidral SRL

PRO

I

1

60

CR

28

Gilchesters Organics

GO

UK

1

60

CR

29

Agro Eco Consultancy B.V.

AECO

NL

19

60

CR

30

Swiss Federal Dairy Research Station Liebefeld

FAM

CH

13

60

CR

31

Groupe de Recherche et d’Echanges Technologiques

GRET

F

1

60