|
Organic Food Not Risk-FreeOrganic foods may carry risks. 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). This new E. coli is attacking tens of thousands of people per year, all over the world. It is causing permanent liver and kidney damage in many of its victims. The CDC recorded 2,471 confirmed cases of E. coli 0157: H7 in 1996 and estimated that it is causing at least 250 deaths per year in the United States alone. Consumers of organic food are also more likely to be attacked by a relatively new, more virulent strain of salmonella bacteria. Salmonella was America's biggest food-borne death risk until the new E. coli O157 came along. Organic food is more dangerous than conventionally grown produce because organic farmers use animal 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. SOURCE: American Outlook, 1998 Healthy Weight Loss Advice Return to Diet NewsDiet Home |
