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Re: Alleged dangers of organic food fertilized with manure
kstoner@caes.state.ct.us wrote:
>Hello, everyone:
>
>This is a request for information and assistance. In the aftermath of two food
>contamination incidents in rapid succession, a local problem with E. coli
>O157:H7 in apple cider in Connecticut, and the highly-publicized incident with
>the same strain of bacteria in Odwalla apple juice in the Northwest U.S., I have
>been seeing warnings about the dangers of eating organic food because it is
>fertilized with manure. I want to write a response to an especially hysterical
>article that ran in Sunday's Hartford Courant. (It was reprinted from the
>Seattle Times, so people there may want to look for it.)
SNIP
>3. Is the apple juice in question from Odwalla certified as organic? (The
>cider in Connecticut was not.) If not, why did people suddenly start attacking
>organic food?
>
>Thanks very much for any help you can give me.
>
>Kim Stoner
>CT Agricultural Experiment Station
>P.O. Box 1106
>New Haven, CT 06504
>(203) 789-7246
Kim,
I saw the column you mention (I think) and didn't find it at all
hysterical. the author properly points out that there are many nasty
things which occur naturally, whether they be bacteria or naturally
occurring toxins. Not everything in nature is good...not everything
man-made is bad.
The column was certainly much less hysterical than the bulk of the
press coverage surrounding the 2 incidents has been. Did you see the
front page of the N.H. Register with the headline "APPLE CIDER SCARE
EXPLODES!!!" in the same type face usually reserved for headlines like
"JAPS BOMB PEARL HARBOR!!!" ?
I happen to be a fan of Bruce Ames and believe the whole country could
use a refresher course on risk assessment. (so feel free to flame away
if it makes anyone feel better.)
Having said that, I don't believe that these outbreaks can be blamed
on organic agriculture.
I heard a quote (sorry I don't know the original source) from some one
who said "If you follow any incidents involving E.coli 0157:H7 back
far enough, you will find a cow." There is a lot of speculation on
other aminals which might carry it, but as far as I know the only
documented carrier is cows.
Manure isn't just organic, its cheap...especially if you happen to be
in an area where there are lots of cows, like New York and parts of
New England...the sources of the "drops" used to make the batch of
cider which caused the incident in Connecticut.
I don't know about Adwalla other than that, as in the CT case, they
purchased fruit from a variety of sources which, organic or not,
might/must have included a grower who fertilized with manure.
Hopefully responsible research from people like Dr. Dingman at the
CAES will shed some light on the vector which has allowed this
organism to suddenly(within the last 12 years or so) come in contact
with our food supply.
I fear that press hysteria may drive the cider industry to
pasteurization ( a very expensive proposition given the relatively
small size of most cider producers and fruit growers) long before
research has the opportunity to provide any answers. And thus many
farms will be forced out of the cider business, if not out of business
altogether.
Regards,
Jonathan Bishop
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Jonathan Bishop Bishop's Orchards
B.W. Bishop & Sons, Inc. Growers of Fine Fruit
Guilford, Connecticut since 1871
E-Mail:j_bishop@ix.netcom.com
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