• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

A Blackeye for Organic Food?

Mike

Well-known member
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
P06-134
September 17, 2006
Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242
Julie Zawisza
[email protected]
Catherine McDermott
[email protected]
Consumer Inquiries:
888-SAFEFOOD



FDA Statement on Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach
Update: Sunday, September 17, 2006
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue to provide the public with regular updates on the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak each day until further notice.

Case Reports
To date, 109 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 16 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and one death. Illnesses continue to be reported to CDC. This is considered to be an ongoing investigation.

Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 Illness
E. coli O157:H7 causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called HUS. HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

States Affected
There are 19 confirmed states: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Consumer Advice
FDA advises consumers to not eat fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products until further notice.
If individuals believe they may have experienced symptoms of illness after consuming fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products, FDA recommends that they seek medical advice.

Two (2) Recalls
FDA has been informed that River Ranch, of California, is recalling packages of spring mix containing spinach. River Ranch obtained bulk spring mix containing spinach from Natural Selections. The following brands are involved: Farmers Market, Hy Vee, Fresh and Easy. Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.

Natural Selection Foods, LLC, of San Juan Bautista, California, is recalling all of its products containing spinach in all brands they pack with "Best if Used by Dates" of August 17, 2006 through October 1, 2006. These products include spinach and any salad with spinach in a blend, both retail and food service products. Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.

Natural Selection Foods, LLC brands include: Natural Selection Foods, Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Dole, Rave Spinach, Emeril, Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature's Basket, Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe's, Ready Pac, Jansal Valley, Cheney Brothers, Coastline, D'Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer's Market, Tanimura & Antle, President's Choice, Cross Valley, and Riverside Farms.

The affected products were also distributed to Canada and Mexico. FDA continues to investigate whether other companies and brands are involved.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irrigation water supply is suspected to be the source of infection. We'll see.
 

Jason

Well-known member
If irrigation water is found to be the source, could the spinach be affected if organic or not?

Why the title of black eye for organic?

I don't see any reason to conclude the spinach is organic except some of the names include "natural".

Jumping to conclusions is usually a bad idea, there was an e-coli outbreak traced to a marshmellow milkshake in Calgary a couple years back. The employee had not washed her hands after using the bathroom and contaminated the milkshake machine. A lot of people were expecting it to be the burgers they served.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Jason said:
If irrigation water is found to be the source, could the spinach be affected if organic or not?

Why the title of black eye for organic?

I don't see any reason to conclude the spinach is organic except some of the names include "natural".

Jumping to conclusions is usually a bad idea, there was an e-coli outbreak traced to a marshmellow milkshake in Calgary a couple years back. The employee had not washed her hands after using the bathroom and contaminated the milkshake machine. A lot of people were expecting it to be the burgers they served.

"By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The nation's largest grower of organic produce said on Friday it had voluntarily recalled fresh spinach products sold in the United States, Mexico and Canada after the U.S. government said they could be linked to a deadly and worsening E. coli outbreak."
 

Jason

Well-known member
That by-line wasn't included in the first post.

It also doesn't say if the company is exclusively organic.

It also doesn't state that only organic produce would be contaminated with the irrigation water.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Jason said:
That by-line wasn't included in the first post.

It also doesn't say if the company is exclusively organic.

It also doesn't state that only organic produce would be contaminated with the irrigation water.

Update: Just out! By the way. A news announcer on TV this morning stated that "Organic" would be more susceptible to E:Coli because of the fertilizer used.


WASHINGTON — Tampering is not suspected in an outbreak of E. coli linked to fresh spinach, federal health officials said Monday as they continue to probe the source of the contamination and warned consumers to continue to avoid fresh spinach products.

The Food and Drug Administration has linked a California company's fresh spinach to the outbreak, which has killed one person and sickened at least 109 others. Investigators are working to pinpoint the source of the bacteria. Possible sources include contaminated irrigation water.

"At this time we have no evidence supporting tampering," FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro said.

Bro also dismissed a claim by Natural Selection Foods LLC, the country's largest grower of organic produce, that its organic spinach products had been cleared of suspicion. "The FDA has not cleared any products from the list and continues to recommend consumers avoid eating fresh spinach products," Bro said.

Natural Selection has maintained its recall of 34 brands of fresh spinach products. However, the company said late Sunday the manufacturing codes from packages of spinach that had infected patients turned over to health officials all were from non-organic spinach. The company packages both organic and conventionally grown spinach in separate areas at its San Juan Bautista, Calif. plant.


Spinach E. Coli Cases Reach 109 Federal Agents Help Investigate E. Coli Outbreak From Tainted Spinach Fast Facts: Brands Recalled by Natural Selection Foods Spinach Absent From Grocery Stores, Menus After E. Coli Outbreak Fast Facts: E. Coli Those brands include the company's own labels and those of other companies that had contracts with Natural Selection to produce or package its spinach.

Meanwhile, Salinas-based River Ranch Fresh Foods added to its recall spring mixes containing spinach sold under the labels Hy-Vee, Fresh N' Easy and Farmers Market, FDA officials said. All contain spinach purchased from Natural Selection, they said.

The FDA and California Department of Health Services planned Monday to work toward tracing the infected greens to individual farms. The inquiry will review irrigation methods, harvest conditions and other practices at farms possibly involved.

The spinach could have been contaminated in the field or during processing. About 74 percent of the fresh-market spinach grown in the U.S. comes from California, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.

There is no indication that the outbreak was deliberate, said Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer with the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The FDA continued to warn consumers not to eat fresh spinach or products containing fresh spinach until further notice.

"This is unquestionably a significant outbreak in terms of E. coli," Acheson said.

E. coli cases linked to tainted spinach have been reported in 19 states, with Wisconsin reporting the most cases, including the death of a 77-year-old woman.

Other states reporting cases were California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming, according to the CDC.

Seven new cases reported Sunday were in states with previous illnesses, Acheson said.

In Ohio, state health officials said they were investigating the death of a 23-month-old girl who was sickened by E. coli to determine whether the case was related to the outbreak. The girl's mother said she often buys bagged spinach.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday they've started an Atlanta-based emergency operations center to help state health agencies with E. coli testing. Epidemiologists are helping test spinach samples and stool samples of infected people, center spokeswoman Lola Russell said.

The center is helping when state health agencies can't perform the tests or when a second opinion is needed, Russell said.

Natural Selection recalled its packaged spinach throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico as a precaution after federal health officials said some of those hospitalized reported eating brands of prepackaged spinach distributed by the company.

However, some restaurants and retailers may be taking spinach out of bags before selling it, so consumers shouldn't buy it at all, the FDA said.

Boiling contaminated spinach can kill the bacteria, but washing won't eliminate it, the CDC warned.

Federal officials stressed that the bacteria had not been isolated in products sold by Natural Selection. As the investigation continues, other brands may be implicated, officials said.

Natural Selection was founded in 1984 by Drew and Myra Goodman. Within two years, its best-known brand, Earthbound Farm, began shipping pre-washed, packaged salad fixings, and the company's "spring mix" became a mainstay of restaurants and supermarkets.
 

Jason

Well-known member
Update: Just out! By the way. A news announcer on TV this morning stated that "Organic" would be more susceptible to E:Coli because of the fertilizer used.

That's a flat out lie.

Organic might be more likely to have been fertilized with manure, but the fertilizer isn't the suspected cause here.

Traditionally grown crops use manure as well. In fact more acres of traditional crops are fertilized with manure than organic ones. That is simply because there are more traditional acres.

Add to that, the fact that a proper microbial balance would digest the e-coli, and a good organic program has a better balance of microbes than traditional, and organic grown under the proper standards would have less chance to be contaminated with e-coli.

There are some that try to cheat by using manure water directly on produce, this isn't organic production nor is it safe. I highly doubt a company this large would try that. If they did they deserve to have their produce recalled.
 

Mike

Well-known member
USDA-ARS
Several years ago, critics suggested that organic produce was more likely to be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food-poisoning and worse. Raw manure applied to soil can contaminate crops with pathogens such as Escherichia coli ( E. coli), shigella and salmonella, according to Mike Doyle, a microbiologist and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. They come from the stomachs of animals like sheep, cows and deer, and are shed in their manure. Once in the soil, they can transfer to the plants, or they can contaminate water used to irrigate or wash produce. Most farmers have developed antibodies to these infections, but they can kill the elderly or very young, or cause kidney damage.

Research conducted by Doyle’s team has shown that E. coli O157 can persist in soil containing compost or contaminated water up to six months. ‘The duration of contamination by E. coli O157 on produce grown in these fields varied depending on the type of produce. Greatest persistence (around 170 days) occurred on parsley and carrots, whereas least persistence (around 75 days) occurred on onions and lettuce’, he comments.

Scientists have also shown that pathogens can get into the plant itself. Karl Matthews and his team at Rutgers University, US, showed how E. coli could transfer from manure and contaminated water into the inner tissues of organic lettuces, where it was protected from sanitising agents. The bacteria passed through the roots and entered the edible portions of the plant. However, the team introduced E. coli into the compost at rates far higher than would normally be found in nature.

Considering the amount of produce consumed, there is a significant risk to consumers, says Doyle. ‘But if manure is properly composted or aged, then the risk of contamination of produce is likely to be low. Conventional farming that uses manure to fertilise fields poses the same risk as organic farming. The risk largely depends on how the manure is composted and handled before application to the soil.’
 

Jason

Well-known member
So the real black eye here (if the e-coli is traced to a manure source that contaminated the water) is for improper manure storage and handling.

Normal levels of e-coli in compost or the soil wouldn't affect the produce like the study showed.

However, the team introduced E. coli into the compost at rates far higher than would normally be found in nature.

Traditioanlly produced crops are as suseptible.

Conventional farming that uses manure to fertilise fields poses the same risk as organic farming.

The study didn't test if a field with high levels of aerobic bacteria could cope with the higher than normal levels of e-coli introduced to try to prove contamination could pass from soil to food. Microbiologists would be able to show which microbes would digest the e-coli.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Latest News;states reporting cases of illness are: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The affected products were also distributed to Canada and Mexico, the FDA said.

Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, told a Sunday night press conference that all the 109 victims were infected with the strain of E. coli 0157:H7, CNN reported. Of them, 55 were hospitalized, 16 with a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Acheson said the number of reported cases could increase Monday, when public health departments, many of which were closed over the weekend, reopen.

The dead woman in Wisconsin was identified as Marion Graff, of Manitowoc. Her son said she died of kidney failure Sept. 7. Wisconsin has reported 29 cases statewide so far.

"We are very, very upset about this," Natural Selection Foods spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna told the AP. "What we do is produce food that we want to be healthy and safe for consumers, so this is a tragedy for us."

The company has supplied a phone number - l-800-690-3200 - for a refund or replacement coupons.

The FDA said the first cases of infection apparently surfaced on Aug. 23, and the most recent one was reported Sept. 3. But it wasn't until last Wednesday that the agency was able to identify bagged spinach as the possible cause.

Brackett cautioned that anyone who believes he or she has the symptoms of E. coli poisoning should contact a doctor.

According to the CDC, E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and is linked to contamination by fecal material. It can be found in undercooked meats and other foods, such as spinach, sprouts, lettuce, unpasteurized milk and juice.

The primary symptom of E. coli contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. While most adults recover completely, the bacteria is particularly harmful to the very young, the very old, and those with compromised immune systems. In more serious cases, potentially fatal kidney failure can develop.

E. coli causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
This latest incident, taken with earlier reports of E. coli contamination in greens, exposes a glaring weakness, FDA adds: effective health standards and cleanliness enforcement on the farm itself.


Consumer watchdogs hope the more-frequent appearance of E. coli in leafy vegetables will finally cause Congress to expand the reach of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to farms.

"We think this incident shows the FDA is suffering from the same weak-kneed approach that they had before they were given more power to regulate beef in the 1990s" after several outbreaks of E. coli were linked to ground beef, says Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "No one is really in charge of food safety on the farm, and the FDA has come in with fairly weak guidelines there that they can only suggest but not enforce. They need direction from Congress to address standards on the farm."

Scientists say E. coli bacteria live in the intestines of cattle and other animals and are passed to plants through contact with fecal matter. Produce could become contaminated several ways: manure used for fertilizer, fecal runoff into streams that are used for farm irrigation, or even droppings from birds that had swallowed manure. As a result, stricter FDA oversight is needed at sites where produce is grown, many observers say. Currently, FDA enforcement authority begins in the packaging facilities where produce is washed and packaged for transport.

The exposure "could come from literally dozens of sources, and it may be awhile before they identify them," says Ron Gaskill, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation. In any case, rules and practices expanded in recent years should allow the investigation to go faster than in previous years.

Mr. Gaskill and several others say US standards known as the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system will allow officials to pinpoint the source of the tainted spinach. The laws require each handler in the food chain - from picker to processor, washer, packager, and transporter - to log who they received the food from and who they gave it to.

"We are doing a far greater job than in past years in being able to trace where food has come from and gone to," says Gaskill. Several years ago, US health officials traced tainted strawberries to Mexico and shut down a processing plant until standards were met. And in 2002, Congress tightened regulations even further, out of concerns about bioterrorism.

The E. coli presence in spinach may have escaped notice in part because, unlike other contaminants, it can be difficult to detect and a little can cause much harm to humans, scientists say.
"Even after processing and washing, sorting and quality searching, it is still possible for just a few cells to survive," says Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University.

"It might be that the FDA now sees it is time to come up with new standards for the farm," he says. But enforcement would be difficult, he acknowledges.

"The FDA regulatory authority begins with processing, which is industrial and is a whole different ball of wax," says Dr. LaBorde.

"But growing is not covered under the laws and regulations. Given our manpower, how could it be done given the wide distribution of farms?"
 

Econ101

Well-known member
There is something to be said for geographical isolation in production of food and its processing. Centralization anywhere in the production chain can cause a common source of infection. The sustainibility agriculture movement has some arguments in that regard.

It was pretty new to me that plants would uptake ecoli bacteria.
 

Jason

Well-known member
They could only prove plant uptake with un-naturally high levels of e-coli introduced into the soil.

That proves natural uptake would be near impossible.

The issue is the contaminated water on the plants. Some run water through manure and spray their crops thinking that is ok. It is not and should never be done organic or non organic.
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Jason said:
They could only prove plant uptake with un-naturally high levels of e-coli introduced into the soil.

That proves natural uptake would be near impossible.

The issue is the contaminated water on the plants. Some run water through manure and spray their crops thinking that is ok. It is not and should never be done organic or non organic.

That does not prove natural uptake would be near impossible, but I think you are probably right on your last paragraph. I think the plant uptake is just posturing for lawsuits.
 

Jason

Well-known member
Read closely Econ, they had to introduce extremely high levels of e-coli to get the plant uptake.

Those high levels do not occur naturally.

I agree it is interesting that it could happen at all, but it is not something people should be worried about.

The watering with contaminated water however is a different animal. That can spread e-coli very easilly and can happen by accident if manure is allowed into an irrigation source.

Anyone that would water with potentially contaminated water needs to be educated so they don't risk human health, if they knowingly do it they should be strung up.
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Jason said:
Read closely Econ, they had to introduce extremely high levels of e-coli to get the plant uptake.

Those high levels do not occur naturally.

I agree it is interesting that it could happen at all, but it is not something people should be worried about.

The watering with contaminated water however is a different animal. That can spread e-coli very easilly and can happen by accident if manure is allowed into an irrigation source.

Anyone that would water with potentially contaminated water needs to be educated so they don't risk human health, if they knowingly do it they should be strung up.

So is it your position that the contamination has to come from the method you described? What about R2's example, is it not "natural"? What about the occasional deer through the field or loose cow?

Jason, you never have to ask me to read your posts carefully. It is the reasoning that is the problem.

How much different is it than chicken companies dunking their chickens in fecal water to be reabsorbed for the higher weight and cool down? Just that chicken has to be cooked all the way?
 

Jason

Well-known member
Reading the rest of the thread, they are leaning toward irrigation water as the source.

I would like to see the actual proof, as contamination could have happened in the processing facility.

As for the odd animal running thrrough the field, or even human workers deficating in the field, that isn't on the actual plant, and unless they are sick the e-coli isn't likely the harmful strain. Also do field workers crap on the ground or on the plant... most would be pretty twisted if they did it on the plants. Maybe pick a leaf or 2 to wipe... but that winds up on the ground.

The problem in a water source is a small amount of e-coli can grow to be massive in a short period of time because of lack of oxygen in the water. Anaerobic bacteria can live in oxygen but don't need oxygen o live. Aerobic bacteria the natural defence, need oxygen and go dormant without it.

Chickens are not supposed to be dipped in contaminated water. There are standards for the process. The water has to be changed every so often to avoid the anerobic process from happening. Just because small amounts of fecal matter are in the water, it doesn't mean conditions are right for mass explosion of e-coli. If the water is never changed though, it can lead to anerobic conditions.
 

Jason

Well-known member
Looks as if all cases of e-coli have come from non organic spinach the company also grows.

Article is on MSNBC.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Lets look at the merger of Smithfield and Premium Standard , It should not go through and both companies should be broken up like MA BELL was!
 
Top