Nowadays, food safety is receiving more attention than ever before by governments and policy makers, health professionals, the food industry, the biomedical community, and last but not least, the public (Crutchfield and Roberts, 2000; Crutchfield and Weimer, 2000; Kaferstein and Abdussalam, 1999; Woteki et al., 2001). For most consumers in the UnitedStates (FoodMarketing Institute, 2000) and Europe (Food Marketing Institute, 1995), safety has become one of the most important attributes of food. Their concern over food quality has intensified in recent years, and prompted heated debate about the integrity and safety of the produce. Consumer concern, fuelled by several food scares, has influenced food purchasing patterns, as well as several aspects of the political arena, international trade, and the farming industry (Buzby, 2001).
One such aspect has been the expansion of demand for organically grown food. Although only a small market sector until recently, organic farming became one of the fastest growing segments of US (Greene, 2000) and European (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1999) agriculture during the 1990s, and is rapidly ‘gaining ground’ in many other parts of the world as well (Willer and Yussefi, 2004).
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Organic Food: Buying More Safety or Just Peace of Mind? A Critical Review of the Literature
