Leaders in the Field of Sustainable Organic Production Systems

At Gulfood 2023, the global food industry met, not only to connect with industry insiders and exhibit their products and services, but to also discuss sustainable food production, distribution, and consumption. One of the international panels led by Yazen Al Kodmani, Head of Operations of Emirates Bio Farm, discussed the innovations, challenges, and opportunities in the organic food production realm.

What does it take to be certified organic?

In the USA, certified organic producers and handlers are inspected by USDA-accredited certifiers. If compliant they receive organic certification that is renewed annually.  Click here for details on the process in the USA.

The panel at the Gulfood Show in Dubai provided an overview of the international organic market from a producer perspective. Producers are mainly crop and livestock farmers and foragers.  It is a processed-based system, that includes the grower, handler, transport, and logistics.

The panelists discussed the following opportunities and challenges:

Worldwide Organic Equivalency

Organic equivalency is when two countries recognize each other’s organic program as being equivalent. If two countries are equivalent, organic products can be sold in either country with just one organic certification.  The consensus among the panelists was that this is not happening fast enough.  A point was also made on soil health and water system purity being difficult to measure in every country.

Biodiversity of Soil

There was a consensus about the need to increase biodiversity in soil worldwide.  Making soil healthier can take years.  The mismanagement and stripping of soil has gone on for over a hundred years. As a result, replenishing its biodiversity and thereby making the soil healthier for crops and animals will not happen overnight.

Technology

The panelists discussed the need to develop technology that will make organic farming as profitable and productive as traditional farming.   New technologies and using natural sources like plants as filters that clean pesticide runoff and other water contaminants were discussed.

Blockchain traceability technology (BT) is one tool that could improve future food systems policies, traceability, and supply chains. For more information click here.

High-tech vertical farming is vertical farming using technology on a commercial scale. The technology is set up to produce the perfect environment for plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.  Often these high-tech farms are found in urban centers. For more information click here.

Technology for livestock

Technology needs to mimic nature. It’s not sustainable or reasonable to expect all human beings to adopt a purely vegan lifestyle.  According to some panelists, the world will never be vegan. We need farm animals for biodiversity. Animals must be present in the circular bio-economy.  Use biodiversity as a measure of productivity vs. crops per square foot.  In addition, develop technologies to reduce emissions.

Organic Farming Mindset

The goal is to increase bounty for the entire environment. To do this we need to think in the big picture. We need to consider every part of the transformation process and its contribution to the end goal. More bounty for all.  The goal is healthy people, animals, water, air, and soil.  There is also a need to change existing mindsets in business. Due to improved technology implementation in dairy farms, they now produce 25% less emissions than traditional agriculture.

The Challenge of Labeling

The panelists agreed that labels are confusing. There is a lot of brainwashing of consumers with labels containing words like ‘natural’, ‘bio’, ‘pesticide free’, and ‘non-GMO’.  Educating consumers and future consumers will alert them to questionable labeling and help them make more informed decisions.   Even certification bodies need more training and awareness of these practices. One challenge is that there are many standards and definitions of the above. The panelists agreed that a combined effort is needed to streamline definitions.

Halal and Organic Certification

More and more Muslim consumers are demanding both Halal and Organic products.  Organic certification ensures that the product is produced in a safe and healthy environment from farm to fork. And Halal certification ensures that food is permissible for Muslims to consume. As Muslims become more health conscious, demand for both Halal and Organic products will continue to rise. The research found that organic certification attributes are related to trust, credibility, food safety, and quality, environment, and traceability. Participants stated that halal certifications are also important in determining the safety and quality of food products. There is also some overlap in the process.

Islamic Services of America (ISA) is a leading USA-based Halal certification and auditing organization serving companies, the community, and the Halal industry for over 45 years.  Contact ISA at isa@isahalal.com or visit the ISA website for more information at www.isahalal.com