More on the "Health Notice"

[Tom Lamar <lamar@pcei.org>]

This just in from Alternative Agriculture News, February, 1999:

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."

Alternative Agriculture News
February, 1999

Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net
World Wide Web: http://www.hawiaa.org

Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director

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