FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS: FOOD SAFETY AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Do consumers need to be concerned about the safety of eating
organic produce?
No more than they are about conventional food. Safe food
production is the number one concern for all food producers.
Certified organic growers follow strict guidelines for safe
and hygienic food production. As with all food producers,
they must comply with local, state and federal health
standards. Pasteurization, selected use of chlorine, and
other food safety practices also are allowed and followed in
organic production. Consumers need to follow safe food
handling, no matter what type of food they purchase.
Are organic products more likely to be contaminated
by pathogenic microorganisms?
No, despite misleading statements in the press,
there is no reputable scientific evidence to indicate that
organic products pose an added risk of pathogenic
contamination than any other produce. To address such
statements, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has issued the following: "The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention…has not conducted any study that
compares or quantitates the specific risk for infection with
Escherichia coli O157: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)."
What does the organic industry do to ensure safe and
wholesome produce?
Certified organic growers not only are inspected by
third-party independent certifiers in order to qualify for
organic certification, but they also follow strict
guidelines for safe and hygienic food production. As with
all food producers, they must be in compliance with local,
state and federal health standards. Pasteurization, selected
use of chlorine, and other food safety practices also are
allowed and followed in organic production.
Conventional and organic agriculture both use manure as a
part of regular farm soil fertilization programs. Certified
organic farmers, however, must maintain a strict farm plan
detailing the methods used to build soil fertility,
including the application of manure as mandated by the
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. No other agricultural
regulation in the United States imposes such strict control
on the use of manure.
What can consumers do to minimize exposure to
food-borne illnesses?
Statistics from CDC show that
a vast majority of food-borne disease is associated with
cross-contamination and handling later in the distribution
chain and in the home. It is always important to be careful
when handling any food. Eating meat that is rare or
inadequately cooked is the most common way of getting
infected. Person-to-person transmission also can occur if
infected people do not adequately wash their hands.
Other tips to follow:
- Separate meats from fruits
and vegetables in the shopping cart.
- Always wash fresh fruits
and vegetables thoroughly in clean drinking water before
eating them. Do not use detergent or bleach when washing
fruits and vegetables.
- Thoroughly wash hands
before preparing food and immediately after handling raw
meat.
- Keep utensils and cutting
boards separate for meats and vegetables.
- Wash all countertops and
utensils thoroughly when handling food.
- Always clean any surface
that has come in contact with raw meat before any other
item is placed on that surface.
- Always cook meat until the
juices run absolutely clear.
- Buy fresh-looking fruits
and vegetables that are not bruised, shriveled, moldy,
or slimy. Don’t buy anything that smells bad. Don’t
buy packaged vegetables that look slimy. Buy only what
you need.
- Handle fresh fruits and
vegetables carefully. Put produce away promptly, and
keep it in the crisper.
- Remember to keep all cut
fruits and vegetables covered in the refrigerator, and
throw away produce you have kept too long.
- Store prepared fruit
salads and other cut produce in the refrigerator until
just before serving.
- Discard produce you have
kept too long. Throw away cut produce that has been out
of the refrigerator for four hours or more.
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