ABSTRACT
Since the late 1990s, demand for certified organic food has emerged as a vibrant market within the global food trade. The organic food and drinks market was estimated to have reached in 2005 a value of US $18 billion in the United States and a value of US $5.4 billion in Germany and US $4.1 billion in the United Kingdom, the two major European markets for organic products. The recent strong growth was largely driven by increased consumer concern over food safety. The outbreak of ‘food scares’ in several countries around the world, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and salmonella, together with the emergence of public awareness of the risks of food processing have raised concerns over food safety and production methods. In response to this strong growth, organic food production is increasing on all continents, with much of the increase occurring in third-world countries, where farmers are attracted by the higher prices for organic food products. For the same reason, many governments encourage farmers to convert to organic farming (ICCO 2006).
