Organic foods just as prone to food poisoning bacteria

Just because food is labeled organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free of food poisoning bacteria.

And two recalls last week, according to USA Today, only underscores that organic foods are just as prone to food-borne bacteria as non-organics.

Last week, First Class Foods recalled more than 34,000 pounds of organic beef because of a possible E. coli contamination. The beef was sold in six different states: California, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin and sold under the names Organic Harvest and Nature’s Harvest.
In the same week, Tiny Greens Organics issued a recall on organic alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts due to possible Salmonella contamination. These sprouts were available in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.

Recalls during the Spring and Summer months in 2010 also give support to the idea that organic foods are just as prone to contamination as other foods.

Whole Foods, one of the largest retail purveyors of organic foods, has also had to recall its own brand of nutmeg and cheese sold at the high-end grocer was recalled last year, too.

USA Today cites a New York Times investigation into organic food safety which realized “organic certification has nothing to do with food safety.”