This item from the current Wallace Institute newsletter bears
repeating, IMO. Especially given that the Hudson Institute piece has
been so widely quoted and reproduced. I'm cc'ing this to ProMED as
well.
peace
misha
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CDC HAS NEVER COMPARED E. COLI RISKS
OF ORGANIC, TRADITIONAL FOOD
Contrary to a well-circulated article written by Dennis T. Avery,
the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
never conducted a study that compares the risk of contracting E.
coli bacteria in both conventional and organically grown food. Avery
is the Director of Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute, which
is "a research organization dedicated to thinking about the future
from a contrarian point of view," according to its literature.
Avery published an article entitled "The Hidden Dangers in Organic
Food" in the Fall, 1998, issue of American Outlook, a quarterly
publication published by the Hudson Institute. Avery's article
began, "According to recent data compiled by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), people who eat organic and 'natural' foods are
eight times as likely as the rest of the population to be attacked by
a deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria (0157:H7)."
A statement from Dr. Mitchell Cohen of the CDC last month states
that: "Since 1982, most of the outbreaks of Escherichia coli 0157:H7
have been associated with foods of bovine origin (e.g. - ground
beef). In recent years, a wider spectrum of foods, including produce,
have been recognized as causes of outbreaks. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has not conducted any study that
compares or quantitates the specific risk for infection with
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and eating either conventionally grown or
organic/natural foods. CDC recommends that growers practice safe and
hygienic methods for producing food products, and that consumers,
likewise, practice food safety within their homes (e.g., thoroughly
washing fruits and vegetables). These recommendations apply to both
conventionally grown and organic foods."
Sharon Hoskins of the CDC told Alternative Agriculture News that the
CDC did not have any such research currently in the works, nor was it
planning to conduct any in the future because such research was "not
warranted." "We are not planning any research on organic and natural
foods," she said. She also said, "We have tried to contact the
magazine and have never been able to speak with anyone at American
Outlook, including the editor. There has been no response."
Avery's article has been excerpted in several other publications,
including The Wall Street Journal, whose excerpt included these
sentences from the American Outlook article: "Consumers of organic
foods are also more likely to be attacked by a relatively new, more
virulent strain of the infamous salmonella bacteria. Salmonella was
America's biggest food borne death risk until the new E. coli 0157
came along. Organic food is more dangerous than conventionally grown
produce because organic farmers use manure as the major source of
fertilizer for their food crops. Animal manure is the biggest
reservoir of these nasty bacteria that are afflicting and killing so
many people. Organic farmers compound the contamination problem
through their reluctance to use antimicrobial preservatives, chemical
washes, pasteurization, or even chlorinated water to rid their
products of dangerous bacteria."
No documented research sources were given to support these
assertions. The Organic Trade Association has also disputed Avery's
article, reporting that, "According to Robert Tauxe, M.D., chief of
the food borne and diarrheal diseases branch of the CDC, there is no
such data on organic food production in existence at their
centers....Let the record show that manure use is a common
agricultural practice for conventional and organic food
production....Any organic grower that uses the certified organic
label must abide by safe food production standards, and, as with all
food producers, must be in compliance with their local and state
health standards."
Source:
Alternative Agriculture News
February, 1999
Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
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