The new solutions developed as part of the TOFoo (True Organic Food) project will enable those involved in the organic food sector (producers, food manufacturers, retailers, certification bodies and public authorities) to ensure compliance with authorised practices throughout the entire organic food production process, reinforce protections put in place by the organic sector, protect organic market players, and sustain the dynamic growth of the French organic food exports.
Indeed, despite strict specifications, European regulation and a system of certification for operators, the organic food sector remains vulnerable to practices which call into question organic food integrity and compliance.
In practical terms, innovative analyses will be developed to ensure the broadest possible monitoring of the sector. They will include methods to facilitate the collection of global analytical fingerprints of food products, allowing for their organic nature to be verified (“untargeted” approach), as well as methods to identify unauthorised food additives in organic products and characterise manufactured nanoparticles. These methods will be applicable to fruits, vegetables, cereals and dairy products. In situ analyses will complement laboratory analyses for fast and frequent direct monitoring of industrial or retail sites. Performed using portable analytical instruments, these analyses will provide early warning of issues in relation to the integrity of organic food, which can be confirmed by laboratory analytical methods.
More information: press release on Eurofins’ website.
Partners involved in the project: Eurofins, Atol C&D, Bonduelle, GRAB Organic Farming Research Group, Myriade, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Nantes GEPEA and CEISAM laboratories, UniLaSalle Polytechnic Institute
