For Dr. Neil Rau to link his premise that “young women like organic, fresh salads more then men” to his conclusion that organic foods are of higher risk to E. coli contamination because young women have become ill in Germany, is both lazy logic and unprofessional.
The German authorities have clearly stated that the source of this contamination has not yet been identified. We join everyone in hoping they soon trace it before others become ill. Although traces of E. coli was found on two organic cucumbers among the many tested to date, the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene and Environment has used a specific test for this EHEC stain 0104 and concluded that the organic cucumbers do not carry the strain which is causing this outbreak. It is coming from other sources.
Your viewers should know that the organic standards in Canada are overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and all imported and domestic organic products must meet Canadian government requirements.
Organic foods are no less safe then non-organic foods, and meet all food safety and regulatory requirements of our modern food safety system. They also face additional inspections and requirements mandated by the organic standards and government regulations.
The Canadian organic standards include requirements that any manure used in organic production be incorporated in a way that subjects them to heat or other composting treatments: to kill pathogenic bacteria, protect crops from contamination, and place strict time limits on when applications can be made to ensure it is not too close to harvest or human consumption times.
Additionally, organic standards clearly prohibit the use of sewage sludge in agricultural applications. I wish I could say the same for all agriculture.
In closing, I think we need to acknowledge that Walkerton, ON did not suffer the worst E. coli outbreak in Canadian history because of organic farming, nor did the use of synthetic chemical and fossil-fuel fertilizers keep this event from occurring. Organic production wouldn’t necessarily have protected them either: but a closer look at how we farm is certainly a healthy start.
For more information on organic in Canada, visit www.OrganicBiologique.ca
Matthew Holmes, Executive Director
Canada Organic Trade Association
613.482.1717
m: 506.260.7537
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http://ota-canada.ca
http://organicbiologique.ca
