BNN-Monitoring
Monitoring for fruit und vegetables in the organic food sector
Since 2003 Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) Herstellung und Handel (Organic Processers and Traders Association) has been monitoring contamination by pesticides in fruit and vegetables in the organic food sector. 28 importers, exporters and distributors take part in BNN-Monitoring, exchange results and have agreed on common procedures in the case of residues being found. Thereby BNN-Monitoring has achieved important improvements for quality assurance in the organic food sector:
- data on the contamination of organic fruit and vegetables with residues of pesticides is systematically gathered and edited.
- contamination with residues or mixing with conventional crops are uncovered and defects rectified.
- possible cases of fraud are efficiently identified by means of all-embracing, coordinated and risk-orientated sampling and the produce is kept off the market by information exchange.
Thus efficient, credible controls are established to prevent consumers from being cheated. Moreover every residue finding leads to in-depth research in order to determine the cause. In this way weaknesses in quality assurance or process control can be identified and defects rectified. Thus a permanent improvement in quality is achieved.
