USDA Funds Safety of Natural and Organic Poultry Research

November 27, 2008- Organic food is all the rage, but despite popular opinion it’s not
automatically safer than conventionally grown foods. A team from
several institutions led by University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture food and poultry scientists has been awarded a three-year
grant for nearly $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
National Integrated Food Safety Initiative grant to do food safety
research in natural and organic poultry.

Steven Ricke, a professor in the UA Food Science Department and the
Center for Excellence in Poultry Science, serves as the project leader
with Phil Crandall, a professor in Food Science, and Frank Jones,
associate director for Extension in Poultry Science.

The term
“organic” is strictly defined by the USDA National Organic Program to
include poultry raised with no antibiotics, fed 100 percent organic
feed and given access to outdoors. The USDA definition for “natural”
for meat and poultry products specifies no artificial ingredients or
added color and only minimal processing. However, the market for
“natural” is rapidly changing, and this definition is being updated.
USDA has also proposed voluntary standards for “naturally-raised”
livestock to be raised without antibiotics and not fed animal
by-products.

Organic poultry currently accounts for no more than
2 percent of the total poultry market, but it is the largest share of
the organic meat market and is growing by leaps and bounds. Between
1997 and 2003, sales of organic broilers increased from about 38,000 to
6.3 million birds.

The meteoric rise in popularity of organic
poultry has prompted a need for a comprehensive study of how to ensure
its safety, Ricke said.

Organic and natural poultry are currently
produced and processed in smaller facilities than is conventional
poultry. “However, small production is usually not integrated,
providing less opportunity for the control of product quality,
including food safety, as in large-scale, integrated production,” Ricke
said. “Almost no university research has focused on small-scale poultry
production systems or their food safety issues,” said Ricke, who also
holds the Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety and serves as director of
the UA Center for Food Safety.

Ricke and his team leaders will
coordinate 13 research specialists on four teams from the U of A, Texas
A&M University, West Virginia University, Cornell University,
Purdue University and along with Dr. Anne Fanatico of the National
Center for Appropriate Technology.

“Each team consists of
faculty who can address the complex nature of the problems associated
with food safety in organic and natural poultry,” Ricke said. “Our
Extension specialists have existing close relationships with growers
and processors statewide and nationally, as well as food safety
education and communication specialists who can address the complex
issues to the grower, processor, consumer and retail industries.”

Among
the expected results of the project is a plan to write guidelines for
Good Agricultural Practices – a recognized collection of principles for
production and processing – for food safety on natural and organic
poultry farms. The guidelines will focus on developing plans that are
relevant to plants of particular sizes. Ricke said a set of Good
Agricultural Practices will play a critical role in ensuring safety.
“Because
natural and organic poultry production does not use antibiotics or
other medications, Good Agricultural Practices are even more
important,” Ricke explained.

The project will also include
meetings and workshops with industry personnel. That will include a
local one-day workshop on natural and organic poultry production
focusing on food safety and bird health.

“The impact of
completing this grant is huge as it has the potential to reach large-
and small-scale producers, processors, policymakers and stakeholders
who need assistance in food safety management,” Ricke said.