Abstract

GOMEZ-RAMIREZ, Briana Davahiva  and  CADAVID-CASTRO, Martha Alicia. Quality and safety of foods in alternative food networks; case studies in Medellin, Colombia. Acta Agron. [online]. 2022, vol.71, n.4, pp.349-356.  Epub Apr 09, 2024. ISSN 0120-2812.  https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v71n4.108251.

The quality and safety of food is essential for nutrition and food safety. On alternative food networks (RAA), which are systems based on agroecology, there may be different emphases than those usually applied to conventional food systems, so the objective of this paper was to identify the food quality and safety practices in RAA that distribute foods in the city of Medellin, Colombia. Qualitative collective case studies were undertaken using semi-structured interviews conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic with leaders of social, governmental, community and business organizations who promote RAA in Medellin and surrounding areas. The results indicated that the RAA have a broad vision of food quality and safety that is applied to all links throughout the system, beginning with ensuring chemical safety during food production and, subsequently, making all efforts to ensure microbiological safety and hygienic conditions for the supply, distribution, and transformation within and of food networks. In conclusion, foods available in Medellin through the RAAs, in addition to including guarantees of quality and chemical and microbiological safety, facilitate models that strengthen democratic governance, like participatory guarantee systems. Their implementation requires support from diverse societal actors that at the same time ensure the adoption of the norms.

Keywords : food supply; food contamination; food and nutrition security; sustainable food system.

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