Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Organic Food—Definition and Background
2.2. Food Production Systems
2.3. Safety Risks in Food Systems
- Class I recall: severe, suggesting reasonable probability of lasting adverse health consequences or death. Examples include alfalfa sprouts contaminated with Salmonella spp; under-processed chilli containing Clostridium botulinum toxin; and products containing undeclared allergens [46];
- Class II recall: may cause temporary/reversible harm but a remote probability of the adverse health consequences;
- Class III recall: least severe, not likely to cause adverse health consequences
3. Research Method
3.1. Data Collection
3.2. Data Preparation and Coding
3.3. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Research Question 1: Do Organic Products Become More Prone to Errors?
4.2. Research Question 2: Does the Proportion of Organic Product Recalls Increase over Time?
4.3. Research Question 3: Is There Any Difference between Organic and Non-Organic Product Recalls in Terms of the Causes of the Recalls
4.4. Research Question 4: Are There Any Differences in the Causes of Product Recalls between Processed and Unprocessed Food among Conventional and Organic Products?
5. Discussion
5.1. Practical Implications
5.2. Limitations and Future Research
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Year | Food Sales (in USD Million) | Organic Food Sales (in USD Million) | % of Organic Food Sales from the Total Food Sales |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | 677,354 | 22,961 | 3.4% |
2011 | 713,985 | 25,148 | 3.5% |
2012 | 740,450 | 27,965 | 3.8% |
2013 | 760,486 | 31,378 | 4.1% |
2014 | 787,575 | 35,099 | 4.5% |
2015 | 807,998 | 39,006 | 4.8% |
2016 | 812,907 | 42,507 | 5.2% |
2017 | 822,160 | 45,209 | 5.5% |
Year | Organic Food Sales (in USD Million) | % Growth of Organic Food Sales | EXPECTED Product Recall for Organic Food | ACTUAL Organic Food Product Recalls |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 25,148 | 9.5% | 10 | 17 |
2012 | 27,965 | 11.2% | 11 | 25 |
2013 | 31,378 | 12.2% | 12 | 11 |
2014 | 35,099 | 11.9% | 14 | 34 |
2015 | 39,006 | 11.1% | 15 | 30 |
2016 | 42,507 | 9.0% | 17 | 33 |
2017 | 45,209 | 6.4% | 18 | 28 |
Year | Total Food Product Sales (in USD Million) | Organic Food Product Sales (in USD Million) | % of Organic Food Product Sales | Total Food Product Recalls | Organic Food Product Recalls | % of Organic Food Product Recalls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | 677,354 | 22,961 | 3.4% | 288 | 9 | 3.13% |
2011 | 713,985 | 25,148 | 3.5% | 312 | 17 | 5.50% |
2012 | 740,450 | 27,965 | 3.8% | 374 | 25 | 6.95% |
2013 | 760,486 | 31,378 | 4.1% | 272 | 11 | 4.07% |
2014 | 787,575 | 35,099 | 4.5% | 291 | 34 | 11.68% |
2015 | 807,998 | 39,006 | 4.8% | 355 | 30 | 8.47% |
2016 | 812,907 | 42,507 | 5.2% | 486 | 33 | 6.79% |
2017 | 822,160 | 45,209 | 5.5% | 346 | 28 | 8.09% |
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Chowdhury, M.; Castka, P.; Prajogo, D.; Zhao, X.; Wood, L.C. Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls. Sustainability 2021, 13, 13540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413540
Chowdhury M, Castka P, Prajogo D, Zhao X, Wood LC. Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls. Sustainability. 2021; 13(24):13540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413540
Chicago/Turabian StyleChowdhury, Mesbahuddin, Pavel Castka, Daniel Prajogo, Xiaoli Zhao, and Lincoln C. Wood. 2021. "Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls" Sustainability 13, no. 24: 13540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413540
APA StyleChowdhury, M., Castka, P., Prajogo, D., Zhao, X., & Wood, L. C. (2021). Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls. Sustainability, 13(24), 13540. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413540