The Codex Standard for Organic Food - Research Paper Example

Ethical Study of the x Standard for Organic Food The food laws laid down under the government of the UK have been mainly framed to facilitate the consumers with ensuring greater food security. These laws have been duly amended at various phases depending on the requirement of time. Notably, the elated global interests in determining the organic agriculture procedure has compelled the UK government to frame certain policies for maintaining the quality of the food produced. The UK food laws have been effectively implementing the standards of organic foods and certifying the same. Besides, national legislations have also been passed in order to ensure that the production inputs are of the standard specified under diverse food laws. With the elated level of consciousness amid the consumers to consume organic foods due to the presence of high level of nutrient value, the UK government followed certain rules under the code of law. Several assumptions have been analysed in order to understand the legal positioning of the legislative bodies to ensure food safety. Through the incorporation of varied legislations, an attempt has been made to strengthen the political position in the context of raising food quality along with ensuring food safety. Ethical Study of the Codex Standard for Organic Food Protecting food and ensuring food safety have been the major areas of the UK government to be emphasised since the preceding few years. The importance of food safety food has gained consciousness amid the people with the rise in living a quality life. The concerned matter i.e. food safety has become a necessity specifically for mitigating the food borne diseases by a considerable degree. With the increase in the level of food borne diseases in early years, the UK government had to enforce a law that would make safe food a compulsion. The history of food law has been quite unstable and made little progress in the late 19th century in the UK (Atkins, 1991; Crown, 1875). The initial phase of the food laws was dealt with the adulteration of foods, which deemed to be imposing adverse health effects on the young adults in the societies prevailing throughout the UK. Once the Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875 started taking shape, the major issues like the use of harmful preservatives affecting food safety of the consumers were emerged. It will be vital to mention in this similar concern that the food and the consumption patterns of the consumers have been changing frequently over the years. Moreover, the consumers’ food habits are also showing huge diversity recently. Specially mentioning, with the introduction of organic foods, certain issues relating to food security can be recorded in the present day context. The detailed scientific research on the issue about the actual effect of organic foods on human health is still missing. Though there has been a perception amid the consumers that the organic foods are improved than the foods grown conventionally, this perception certainly raised the demand of the food crops that are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers. However, this implies a major issue whether the organic foods grown meets the principles laid down under diverse food laws (Dangour et al., 2009; Crown, 1875). Accordingly, the major concern of this research paper is to elaborate the political position that should be taken into concern for enhancing the efficiency of food laws and promoting food security. The topic of this research paper is quite important as it tends to enhance the level of diagnosis and prognosis concerning the present food laws. By performing a detailed prognosis and diagnosis of the present food laws, the gaps persisting between these laws could be identified. Scientific Studies According to Misner & Florian (2013), organic foods are the foodstuffs that include a variety of diets constituting broad assortment of fruits, vegetables and cereals having high nutrient value. These foods are often grown without the use of any synthetic fertiliser or any pesticide having side effects. The organic grown foods are often observed to be having better content of food nutrients than the crops that are grown conventionally (Dangour et al., 2010). Essoussi & Zahaf (2008) claimed in this regard that the previous two decades experienced two major trends with regards to the assessment of diverse food laws and food related diseases. These trends are generally identified to be the impact of nutrient contents and the increased level of demand of genetically modified goods (Essoussi & Zahaf, 2008). Accordingly, Baranski et al. (2014) contradicted that the nutrient value between the organic or naturally grown crops and the conventionally grown food crops seems to be insignificant. Benbrook et al. (2008) opined that the organic foods are mainly produced without the use of synthetic fibres. These are observed to be of superior quality of nutrients than the other foods produced conventionally. It is anticipated that the food related issues have been rising at an alarming rate owing to the increased level of consciousness amid the consumers about nutritional value of foods. The organically grown foods possess more nutrient contents than conventional foods due to the low use of synthetic pesticides (Benbrook et al., 2008). Additionally, Rosen (2010) explained that the health consciousness amid the consumers is observed to be dependent on their perception to rate organic foods higher than conventional foods. However, from the standpoints of food producers, the costs incurred while growing organic food crops seem to be quite higher than the conventional food crops. In this regard, according to Zander et al. (n.d.), the high perishable rate of organic foods causes huge impact on the farmers in terms of making them to face huge financial loss. This increases the ethical issues related to the requirements of the consumers to find a ready market, which makes it difficult for them to meet the production costs. As per the observation made by Altarawneh (2013), the organic foods over the preceding two decades have been treated to be the essential parts of a healthy diet. To meet the increased demand of the organic foods having high nutrient contents, the production for the organic foods needs to be raised at large (Altarawneh, 2013; Sangkumchalianga & Huang, 2012). Specially mentioning, science has a huge spectrum on maintaining ethical standards of varied organic foods. This can be directly linked with the production of foods. The spectrum of science relating to the aforesaid subject matter includes the aspects associated with the production and the processing of the products to the delivery of the same to the end consumers. Moreover, the other scientific spectrum of the study involves effective utilisation of pesticides, additives along with fertilizers, which need to be taken in the legislative procedure for ensuring greater food safety. In order to quantify the health standards as one of major requirements to be taken into concern in the legislative process, there lays the necessity of measuring nutrient value of the foods consumed. Moreover, in order to ensure that the ethical standards are measured effectively, different scientific tools are often used to measure the food value of the organic foods (Baranski et al., 2014) Moreover, the different peer-reviewed journals and scientific researches made in the field of conducting ethical study of the Codex Standard for organic foods highlight the significance of maintaining such standards in order to support and promote food safety. The scientific spectrum relating to the aforesaid topic helps in setting principles to quantify the ethical standards of foods. In order to measure the quality of foods, varied scientific quantities are used to ensure that the standards are duly followed. However, in long run, the different unethical practices have been apparently observed to illegitimate the laws set down for organic foods. Issues like use of certain synthetic chemicals are dampening the claim of organic foods to be free from the use of synthetic fibres. The scientific spectrum in this context also helps to identify and mitigate these sorts of flaws. The identification of the major loopholes would certainly ensure that the foods produced as per the standards maintain food quality at large (Lund & Gould, 2000). Legislation The attempt to control and regulate the composition of foods has been a major issue since the late 19th century. It is worth mentioning that the food laws in the 19th century were set up with the notion to deregulate the use of foodstuffs that contained contaminated nutrients in order to make the same more attractive to the consumers. This initial phase of the law was later on developed as per the requirement of the changing time and food habits of the people. Initially, the food and drug laws were fundamentally based on measuring the quality of foods. However, with the change in the food habits, it has become quite mandatory for the food laws to initiate certification. Accordingly, with the changing needs of the consumers, diverse laws have been framed based on the nature of farming. Thus, the change persisting in different scientific approaches towards production has mandated that the food laws ought to be framed with following appropriate standards (Givens et al., 2008). With the use of different conventional methods of farming, several food principles came into existence. These principles included the doctrines related to the health of soil and maintaining ecological balance. The advent of organic farming is viewed to enhance the need to set up the standards with regards to the maintenance the quality of the foods (Lund et al., 2000). Crown (2006) affirmed that in order to ensure better standard of foods being produced and consumed by the consumers, the produced goods must meet the specified codes stated under the law(Vapnek & Spreij, 2005). The legal bodies belonging to varied nations throughout the globe are viewed to remain incessantly involved in developing appropriate standards relating to the production of organic foods (Givens et al., 2008). In this similar concern, the different regulations or legislations passed under the Food Labelling Regulation of 1996 have made mandatory for the suppliers to label their products with appropriate durability indications. This may be owing to the reason of considering the fact that the perishability of organic foods is quiet high as compared to conventional foods (Crown, 2011). While conducting the ethical study of the Codex Standard for Organic Food, The Food Safety Act 1990 mandates that the safety as well as the quality of the foods needs to be maintained as per the specified standards. This particular legislation was mainly passed with the intention of protecting human health and making it a compulsion that the foods supplied must not be injurious to health for the people (Crown, 2010; Passille & Rushen, 2005). This standardisation was legalised for all the segments of food production from the supply of raw materials to labelling. This even validated the quality check of the food products at every level from production to sale (Food Standard Agency, 2007). In the present day context, the current legislative processes have made it compulsory for the organisations engaged in producing foods to label their respective items as per the factor of durability. The nutrient contents are often take into concern in order ensure that the standards of food quality have been raised in accordance with the requirements of the individuals. Moreover, the existing legislative processes determine that the genetically modified foods or the ‘Organic Foods’ are only permitted to be used as food supplements than direct consumption. It is worth mentioning that the legislation i.e. Food Labelling Regulation of 1996 makes it mandatory for the sellers to label their food detailing through following varied food standards . A proper labelling is also required to be taken into concern for ensuring greater food security in the form of detailing out the nutrient values of foods (Crown, 2011). The reformulation of the law based on the above discussed legislations was taken into concern for ensuring that the food supplements containing high level of vitamins comply with the safety standards of the foods. These legislations even made it compulsion for the organisations to provide the scientific evidences ensuring that the safety standards of the food supplements are duly met. The UK legislations provided certain grace periods for the organisations to get used to the system of labelling their food products detailing out their nutrient value as well as durability. According to the legislations of the UK concerning the promotion of food security and ethical study of the Codex Standard for Organic Food, the use of genetically modified foods was quite limited in its usage as food supplements rather than direct consumption. According to the Food Safety Act 1990, the foods that are produced need to meet the consumers’ demands in terms of quality and safety. Moreover, these goods must also meet the health needs specified under the lawful regulations as prescribed under UK legislations (Food Standard Agency, 2009). Power Players The organic foods are regarded as the products that are genetically modified foodstuffs developed without the use of synthetic fertilisers. The term ‘organic’ is a labelling term, which is largely used to define the foods that are produced as per the specific standards under the Organic Foods Production Act. However, these foods cannot completely ensure that there will not lay any residue but lowers down the level of air and soil pollution by a certain level (Spevack, n.d.). With the elated consciousness amid the users to consume foods having greater nutrients, the organisations involved in producing foods became quite conscious about offering quality foods to the customers with maintaining appropriate food standards. Moreover, with the increased efforts made by the governments of varied nations throughout the globe to ensure the promotion of food security and prevention of food borne diseases among the masses, the organisations felt the necessity to enhance the quality of their respective products with maintaining appropriate production standards (CDC, 2011). Through continuous evolution and introduction of varied food laws, the government of the UK has certainly made deliberate efforts towards enhancing the standards of food laws in the form of making necessary changes as and when required. It is worth mentioning that the food laws have been quite able to standardise the safety measures related to the consumption of foods. Moreover, by making it a compulsion for the organisations to ensure durability of the marketed products, the above discussed legislations have mandated the organisations involved in producing goods to enhance safety associated with food consumption. Identifiably, the US government has also made it compulsory for the producers to attach a declaration regarding the allergen contents of the foods in order to make sure that the health safety aspect of the consumers is maintained. Accordingly, the producing houses need to comply with the laws in order to ensure the quality of the foods that they are marketing for the end users (Food Standard Agency, 2011). It is worth mentioning that the food laws framed by the UK government have been successfully strengthening the health issues related to the consumption of a particular good. This eventually helped in lowering down the gaps persisting between the food webs and dynamics. The clear declaration about the nutritional contents present in foods must ensure that specified food standards under law are duly adhered (The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, 2012; Food Standard Agency, 2008). The best practice of the UK food laws enhances the range of the factors that contribute in the clarity related with the labelling of foods that are being supplied to the end users. Moreover, the legal requirements of the food standards must be dealt in an authoritative manner so as to ensure that the food quality is detected at every level of production procedure (OECD, 2005; European Commission, 2000). However, even after the effective implications of food laws and making severe amendments as and when required, there are certain discrepancies that creates backlog in the developmental process. It will be vital to mention in this similar concern that the power players of the organic market are the different big producers who have severe influence on the market specifically for the food products. Depending on the ability to manipulate respective the markets, the market players impose strong impact on the regulatory bodies (Starmer, n.d.). The UK government, in order to enhance food safety, has introduced varied sorts of farm assurance schemes. This is mainly due to the reason of enhancing the control over the quality of foods supplied by the retailers to the end customers. This assurance scheme eventually helps the retailers to rely on the quality of the foods produced in assured farms (Crown, 2001; Northen, 2001). Depending on various changes that took place into the field of genetically modified foodstuffs, an alarming issue, which has been triggered, is generating the value for farming system. Conversely, on larger ethical grounds, the initial phase of the genetically modified foods was used as an alternative requisite for the organic foods. This phenomenon thus changed and the genetically modified foods have eventually taken up priority over the organic foods. It can be affirmed in this context that these trends have certainly raised ethical issues in the context of actual implication of food laws (Azadi & Ho, 2010, OIE, 2010). From the above analysis, it can be ascertained that the notion of labelling has been taken into concern by different power sellers as an effective tool to manipulate the food law standards. Moreover, it has also been apparently noted that several pesticides and different synthetic fibres are being used in organic foods that have been deteriorating the quality of the foods at large (Crown, 2009). Several scientific studies conducted on genetically modified foods even confirmed that there lays the presence of certain level of contamination in certain food items that are not as per the standard of food laws (Caduceus Journal Limited, 2008). Specially mentioning, several researches conducted on the subject matter of livestock breed have ascertained that companies have been silently using contaminated genetically modified ingredients in order to enhance their level of production (Soil Association, 2007). On a broader note, it can be affirmed that the consuming pattern of a consumer is decided based on the policies set by the respective governments and also on personal beliefs of a consumer. This phenomenon is being cultivated by the food producers to manipulate the quality of food and illegitimating the food laws. The use of labelling rule to declare the nutrient contents under the UK government is being misused at various production levels (Caduceus Journal Limited, 2012). Conclusion Based on the above analysis and discussion, organic agriculture in terms of law, is observed to be a system of production, which uses the natural farming system. The system is not only concerned with production but also covers all the chains related with the production to the delivery of the agricultural products to the end customers. The organic foods specified under the food laws usually constitute the use of only natural and agriculturally grown materials that efficiently help in maintaining the nutrient contents of the foods at large. The initial objective, which led towards the development of organic foods broadly, outlines the conservation of the environment as a whole. Moreover, the ethical codes set by the food laws surround the use of organic and natural ingredients that eventually enhances the nutrient contents of the foods produced. With the major focus of consumer protection, the UK government has been promoting the use of organic foods and mitigating the ethical issues associated with the same. In this regard, the ethical issues associated with organic foods can be ascertained as dumbing-down of organic standards suiting the interests of the diverse food producers and permitting the execution of varied synthetic chemical based additives among others. The government has also formulated strong regulatory framework in order to ensure that the use of synthetic fertilisers could be avoided for developing food quality. In addition to the above context, the use of organic foods has been legitimised in varied nations throughout the globe for promoting food security by ensuring quality of food. With the increase in consuming organic foods amid the consumers, the production of organic foods also augmented by a considerable extent in this present day context. In order to make sure that the foods produced will meet the consumers’ demand concerning quality, the government of the UK has implemented certain standards to meet the minimum requirements of organic agriculture. Apart from this, in order to ensure that the food standards are duly maintained, the UK government tends to perform public as well as private inspection with the help of certifying bodies. However, at different backdrops, it can be apparently identified that the organisations producing the organic products have been manipulating the food laws to meet their own personal interests. Several studies and researches have reflected on the fact that the organisations involved in producing foods have been curbing down the rules in order to enhance their productivity and profitability. In this regard, several speculations have even ensured that organisations eventually does not disclose the nutrient content of the foods produced in a proper manner for attaining the above stated objectives. This manipulation has been affecting the food security norms laid down under food laws at large. Recommendations for Legislation and Managers The government of the UK has been implementing several rules under the code of law in order to ensure that the health conditions of the people remains safe from the intake of the foods having high nutrient contents. The different legislations as framed by the UK government have certainly instigated that the organisations producing foods must be following the standards laid down by the government. Moreover, the government has even mandated that the organisations must be providing a declaration detailing out the nutrient contents of the foods that are offered to the consumers. In order to initiate the concern concerning food security and maintaining public health, the governmental bodies have been implementing several scientific measures. It is worth mentioning in this regard that by the use of these scientific studies, the government has also successfully integrated various standards to measure the quality of foods supplied to the consumers. Several amendments have been made in the food laws to ensure that the legal standards comply with the requirements of the present day societal requirements. However, influences of the several political and economic levels have been affecting the proper implication of food laws. At several levels, it is often observed that the organisations involved in producing goods have been terminating the laws laid down by the government towards promoting the significant concern of food security. The practices perform by varied trade groups on food security laws ultimately prove to be dampening certain implications of such laws, which eventually restricts in promoting food security of the people. In precise, it can be affirmed that the strong impact of the powerful trade groups on diverse food laws has been creating a negative influence on the development of food security aspect. The present era has also been influenced by the international trade, which has often elucidated the fact that the foreign nations have been less flexible towards following domestic laws. This phenomenon has been creating backlog for the implications of food laws. The different ‘powerful trade unions’ have always been observed to be lobbying against the policy improvement practices in order to attain their own personal interests. In order to mitigate such a situation, certain effective measures need to be taken into concern. In this regard, one of such measures can be making a mandate for such groups to comply with the food laws that frame by the respective governments in order to promote food security. At the organisational level, the managers belonging to varied food producing organisations must follow the standards laid down as per the food laws frame by the respective governments. This particular factor needs to be taken into concern with utmost care in order to enhance the quality of the foods produced by the organisations and most vitally to foster food security. Moreover, by following the standard norms laid down in terms of maintaining quality foods, customer satisfaction level can be raised by an elated level. Instead of lobbying against the policies, the organisations dealing in producing organic food products must implement different quality products that would ensure security of foodstuffs. Additionally, the managers must ensure that the foods produced under the ‘organic’ label must meet the requirements of the quality standards prescribed. Specially mentioning, the use of contaminated genetically modified foods should be banned, which could restrict in promoting food security amid the consumers. Apart from the above discussed aspects, the natural ingredients must be used in such a way so that a fair display on their labelling detailing the nutrient contents of the foods produced is maintained. The managers should also be contributing and supporting the food laws efficiently in order to ensure the food security of the consumers. References Altarawneh, M. (2013). Consumer awareness towards organic food: A pilot study in Jordan. Journal of Agriculture and Food Technology, 3(12), 14-18. 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