In the ongoing debate over how safe the U.S. food supply
really is, a new study
shows getting back to nature may not be the answer.

Some experts believe organic foods may be riskier than
conventionally grown foods
because of potential contamination with E. coli, says a University
of Georgia scientist.

E.coli O157:H7

“In many cases, ‘organic’ means the foods were grown with
animal manures instead
of chemical fertilizers,” said Paul
Guillebeau, an entomologist with the UGA College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Animal manure
is the primary reservoir
for a virulent strain of E. coli.”

The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
confirmed nearly 2,500 cases of E. coli 0157:H7 in 1996. The
CDC reported 250 deaths.
While organic foods made up only 1 percent of the U.S. food
supply, they were implicated
in 8 percent of the E. coli cases.

Organic foods are also more likely to be contaminated
with fungal toxins like
aflatoxin, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Unpasteurized milk and juices are more likely to be
contaminated with bacteria.

“Organic producers may make problems worse because they
often don’t use
chlorinated water or other disinfectants before selling
their products,” Guillebeau
said.

“I’m not condemning organic foods,” he said. “The risks
from pesticides
may be reduced by consuming organically grown products. I
just want people to realize that
organic production doesn’t eliminate food risks. It
increases some risks.”

Not all organic foods are grown with manure, said Cynthia
Hizer. She is one of many
organic growers who sells produce at the Morningside Farmers
Market, an open-air market in
Atlanta.

“Many organic farmers fertilize crops with ‘green
manure,’ which is plant matter,
as opposed to animal manure,” Hizer said. “We all compost
our manure in a heap
where it is heated to a temperature that should kill most
pathogens. We don’t put it raw
on the fields.”

Hizer, who grew up on a farm in Indiana, supports organic
farming for several reasons.

“You’re building the soil and putting life back into the
soil with organics,”
she said. “That adds vitality to the plants that are grown
in it and more flavor in
the food.”

Food safety experts with the UGA Extension Service
say it’s not really how the food is grown that counts most.
It’s how safely you handle it
in your own kitchen.

“There is a risk of E.coli with any food,” said Connie Crawley, an extension
food safety and nutrition
specialist. “It’s hard to trace the source of the
contamination.”

The study on E. coli in organic foods, she said, “just
emphasizes that you should
always wash any produce thoroughly in water.”

Crawley agrees that the grower plays a role in food
safety. But she sees the grower’s
role as minimal.

“Most organic farmers who are in it for their main
business are aware of the
risk,” she said. “They take great care to reduce the
risks.”

The best place to avoid the risk of E.coli, she said, is
between the market and the
dinner plate. She offers this advice:

• Keep produce clean and stored appropriately.
• Keep your kitchen and storage area clean.
• Wash your hands and utensils before preparing
  foods.
• Think about how the food grows. If it grows up through
  the ground and has crevices, like
  lettuce or onions, wash it more thoroughly.

“There is no totally sterile food,” Crawley
said. “Someone who hasn’t
washed his hands can walk into a grocery store, pick up some
produce and contaminate it.
If you’re going to eat raw food, you have to be aware.”