Comparative study of conventional and organic vegetable produce quality and public perception in Kuwait

Abstract EN

Kuwait, like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, depends almost entirely on food imports for national food security with all the risks involved.

there is a growing realization for the exigent necessity to enhance domestic production, and local farmers are adopting farming system they perceive as organic.

organic agriculture can be a proven solution for feeding people in a healthy and environmentally sustainable manner.

this study was designed to investigate nutritive values and the safety of organic produce compared to conventionally grown vegetable crops sold in Kuwaiti supermarkets.

findings indicated slightly higher total nitrogen (TN) in organic than in conventionally grown crops, except lettuce (5.14% vs.

4.56% for broccoli, 4.5% vs.

1.34% for cabbage and 1.9% vs.

2.5% for lettuce).

Total phosphorus (TP) levels, however, were lower in organic as compared to conventionally grown vegetable crops (3676.075 mg kg-¹ vs.

4545.2 mg kg¹ for broccoli, 2416.3 mg kg¹ vs.

2947 mg kg for cabbage and 4178.94 mg kg vs.

4555.31 mg kg for lettuce).

With respect to heavy metals, the potential for arsenic (As), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) transfer into vegetables was studied.

arsenic content was significantly (p<0.05) greater in local organic lettuce (3.5 mg kg-¹) than other farming systems.

Cu was highest (10.38 mg kg) in local organic broccoli, and Zn content was highest in local organic lettuce (108.7 mg kg-¹).

an accompanying public perception survey in Kuwait indicated a willingness of most consumers to spend more premium on organic produce because of the perception of it being healthier than conventional produce.

people showed a preference to consume more organic food if it were grown locally with a reasonable price.

while local farmers perceive their production system as completely organic, internationa recognized certification standards and regulations are currently non-existent.

therefore, an existing domestic farming system can only be described as organic by traditional practices.