For many shoppers the word “organic” is synonymous with “safe.” But food safety experts cannot concede that organic is safer than conventional food, as their research shows it is not. Dialogue on the confusion between fact and myth highlighted the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo.
Surveys show that about 60 percent of consumers stress that it’s important to clarify 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,” said Harshavardhan Thippareddi, Ph.D., a food science professor at the University of Nebraska.
Scientists here presented prototypes of some of the first attempts at food preparation equipment for long-duration space missions.
R. Paul Singh, food engineering professor at University of California at Davis, showed the prototype for a fruit and vegetable processing system for advanced life support. It’s designed to process tomatoes—slicing, dicing, crushing, and juicing them for soup, sauce, and paste
While guidelines were 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. The problem is fecal contamination from wild and domestic animals on the organic farm and field.