With support from the European Commission, Ghent University is assessing the impact of climate change and globalisation on the safety and quality of fresh fruit and vegetables. The university is co-ordinating Veg-i-Trade, a project involving 23 universities, knowledge institutions, SMEs and industrial partners worldwide. Recently, researchers have discovered, for instance, that lettuce in Spain could be cultivated with 25% less water, reducing the cost and improving the quality.

Veg is trendy, as proven by Flemish campaigns like “Days without meat”, which encourages people to eat less meat in the 40 days of Lent. But just as there are controversies around the European meat industry, the quality and safety of vegetables was doubted after German produce was infected by the EHEC bacteria in 2011.

The Veg-i-Trade project launched in the spring of 2010, inspired by preventive research in the US, "but we attracted special attention after the EHEC outbreak,” says co-ordinator Mieke Uyttendaele, professor at the department of food safety and quality at Ghent University. Veg-i-Trade examines the organisation of the fresh produce chain and looks for ways to minimise microbiological risks related to bacteria, viruses, fungi and pesticides.

With a four-year budget of €7.6 million – of which €6 million comes from the EU – Veg-i-Trade is developing and exchanging recommendations concerning good practices and quality assurance via international collaboration.

The European network includes seven Flemish, four Spanish and four Norwegian partners, while institutions from the Netherlands, Serbia and Switzerland are also involved. But the project is just as global as the current trade system and climate-change issue – engaging groups from India, Brazil, Egypt and South Africa.

Local solutions

Figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation show that almost half of all vegetables and fruit cultivated in Europe isn't consumed. To reduce this waste, Veg-i-Trade creates statistical models that predict how the products will decay. Food processors, wholesalers and retailers could adapt their planning and transport logistics using these models, to ensure optimal preservation. “Transport by plane, for example, is more costly, but it may be more efficient than working with lorries because you have far less waste,” explains Uyttendaele.

Partners on all continents are assembling data on the methods of everyone involved in the food chain. Sanitation, for instance. “Good hygiene practices sound self-evident," says Uyttendaele, "but there is a need for a more consistent application.”

She has to bear in mind, however, the different cultures and problems faced by each country. “Because clean drinking water is a problem in parts of India, producers sometimes have trouble implementing the quality measures of Europe,” she explains. “Indian people are also used to cooking all vegetables, which kills bacteria, and they don’t always understand why we eat many vegetables raw.”

Despite "eat local" campaigns, eating more locally grown food is not a perfect solution for consumers. “It’s a positive trend, but there are risks everywhere,” Uyttendaele says. “You cannot inspect every tomato thoroughly before it ends up in the supermarket.”

Help, not judgement

To anticipate the consequences of climate change, Veg-i-Trade is working with experts on this issue and has initiated field research. Tests on a farm in the Spanish region of Almeria proved that lettuce could be cultivated with 25% less water than currently used.

Efficient use of water is key in sustainable agriculture, limiting the shortage of water caused by higher temperatures. The method has economic and quality advantages also. The grower saves up to €200 per hectare, while the lettuce is crisper and remains fresh longer.

Climate change also causes heavy rain and floods, which affect the crops but don’t always destroy them completely. “We analyse to what extent we can avoid crops being lost after extreme weather,” explains Uyttendaele. “Sometimes the sun’s UV radiation is enough to kill harmful micro-organisms.”

What’s essential is that the team remains neutral and constructive. “We emphasise that we are not food inspectors,” says Uyttendaele. “We are there to help, not to judge.”

Limiting pesticides

To keep in touch with the opinions of the fresh produce sector, the Veg-i-Trade team regularly holds discussions with an advisory committee. One of the members is Vegaplan, the organisation that manages quality standards for vegetables and fruit produced in Belgium. These standards form important criteria to decide whether fruit and vegetables receive a quality label, which helps to get a higher price at auction, for example.

Evelien Nottebaere, a Vegaplan advisor, looks forward to the results of a survey by Veg-i-Trade among stakeholders in the agricultural sector on the impact of regulations on the working methods of farmers. “In recent years, sustainability, and especially limiting the use of pesticides, have been high on the agenda of the Belgian sector,” she says. “But it’s important that we find the correct balance because reducing pesticides can also increase the risk of certain plant diseases.”

www.veg-i-trade.org