Experts Warn: 'Organic' Does Not Mean 'Safe'

NEW YORK - [VNU Business Media - Aug. 2] - Food safety experts, lacking credible, supportive data, are hesitating to agree with shoppers who believe the word "organic" on food is synonymous with "safe," reported News-Medical.net.

However, even consumers want clarifications. Surveys have shown that about 60% of consumers emphasize that it's important to explain that the organic label is a production claim, not a food safety claim.

"Consumers may see organic food safety relating to safety from chemicals used in conventional foods. But it's important to clarify that organic claims do no refer to microbial safety," Harshavardhan Thippareddi, Ph.D., a food science professor at the University of Nebraska, was quoted as saying on the website.

While guidelines have been adopted in an attempt to keep organic foods free from man-made chemicals, organic products may be just as likely to harbor harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter.

In a study comparing levels of Salmonella found in samples taken from free-range organic chickens with hens raised under traditional commercial conditions, USDA research found that contamination levels of organically raised chickens were equal to those raised conventionally. In other words, there is no microbiological difference between the two types of chickens. The problem is fecal contamination from wild and domestic animals on the organic farm and field.

"This is particularly a problem on smaller organic farms, which don't have the closure of larger farms," said Trevor Suslow, a researcher at the University of California at Davis'. Another window for possible contamination is irrigation water used by farms.

"Some growers use water that is questionable or even known to be contaminated," Suslow advised, "This is not uncommon for small farms in general, but it is especially a problem with organic farms."

Rigorous washing techniques can eliminate some, but not all, contamination, say researchers. They call for more aggressive study of how various methods used to control bacteria in traditional animal processing operations can be adapted to the organic food production systems.