>Subject: FW: Organic and food safety
>
>
>It would be interesting to track some of these sources down. This may be a
>revival of the story that was going around a few month ago RE: CDC's numbers
>on organic and foodborne illness. This article comes from FSnet, a daily
>news feed out of Guelph.
>
>See http://www.oac.uoguelph.ca/riskcomm/news-today/today.html
>
>or http://www.oac.uoguelph.ca/riskcomm/news-today/ if a few days have
>passed.
>
>Another source of information about Food Safety--including irradiation--is
>the Foodsafe listserv:
>http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm
>
>
>Andy
>
>
>> From FSnet 8/26/99
>>
>> ORGANIC FOOD CREATES HIGHER RISK FOR FOOD POISONING
>> Aug. 25 /99
>> US Newswire
>> Marc Morano
>> WASHINGTON -- An investigation by the nationally syndicated television
>> newsmagazine program American Investigator revealed in June 1998 that,
>> according to the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) own numbers, organic
>> and natural food products represent a higher rate of food borne illness,
>> commonly referred to as food poisoning. Correspondent Marc Morano explains
>> that "by creating food free of synthetic chemicals and preservatives,
>> organic and natural foods have removed barriers between humans and harmful
>> disease-causing bacteria."
>> Virlie Walker, an FDA official, is now on record warning that, "Most
>> especially at risk are your organic products because they could be
>> fertilized with manure." Also on record is chief of the CDC's Foodborne
>> illness division Robert V. Tauxe, addressing pathogens that thrive in
>> manure, "Organic means a food was grown in animal manure."
>> Dr. Lester Crawford of the Georgetown Center for Food and Nutrition Policy
>> told American Investigator, "Organic foods as they're raised with manure
>> as fertilizers and sometimes without chlorinated water, provide a great
>> opportunity for bacteria to grow."
>> "Just on the basis of the label, I would probably tend to shy away from
>> the organic," said Dr. Dean Cliver, a food scientist from University of
>> Southern California-Davis.
>> Even though modern chemical farming occasionally uses manure, they also
>> use salt, preservatives and chemical washes, which kill harmful bacteria.
>> Organic proponents told American Investigator that manure is safe from
>> bacteria if it's properly composted, however the newsmagazine found no
>> standard or scientific gauge to determine what is "properly" composted
>> manure. Dr. Cliver said, "We can tell you how a hamburger is very well
>> done but we can't tell you when manure is very well done."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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