Eating Dangerously Read online

  Is organic produce healthier than conventionally grown?

  Organic produce does not contain more vitamins than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, according to a Stanford University study.20 The study caused such a national buzz that researchers on the project were overwhelmed by interviews and soon refused to discuss it anymore. The study, which looked at four decades of research comparing organic and conventional foods, also found organic foods were not any less likely to be contaminated by dangerous bacteria, including E. coli. The Stanford research did find that organic foods contained less pesticide residue, however.

  “When we began this project, we thought that there would likely be some findings that would support the superiority of organics over conventional food,” Dr. Dena Bravata, a senior affiliate with Stanford’s Center for Health Policy, told the New York Times after the study was completed in 2012.21 “I think we were definitely surprised.”

  Another finding of note: organic chicken and pork were less likely to be contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

  A key part of the organic, locavore movement is about seeking meat and dairy products raised without antibiotics. More studies are necessary, but the concern is that antibiotics aren’t healthy for the humans who eat the meat or drink the milk from animals treated with antibiotics. Besides the risk of individuals ingesting antibiotics with their glasses of milk, there is concern that the amount of antibiotics in the food chain is helping create “superbugs”—germs that have adapted to survive and are now immune to antibiotics that used to kill them. The CDC reported that “strong evidence” exists linking antibiotics in livestock to antibiotic resistance in humans. The director general of the World Health Organization said such resistance could result in “the end of modern medicine as we know it,” and issues such as strep throat or an infected cut on a “child’s scratched knee could once again kill.”22

  It’s rarely disputed that superbugs are formidable; the ongoing debate is over how much the food supply is contributing to the problem. Plenty of safe-food advocates rail against widespread use of antibiotics in farm animals. The issue is that some food producers have for decades added low levels of antibiotics to animal feed, not because the animals are sick but to prevent infections “that tend to occur when animals are housed in crowded, unsanitary, stressful conditions,” says the Natural Resources Defense Council, which along with other food safety groups filed a lawsuit against the FDA in 2011 attempting to block the use of antibiotics in animal feed. “Feeding low levels of antibiotics to cows, pigs and chickens that aren’t even sick breeds super bugs—dangerous germs that are able to fight off antibiotics that spread to our communities and families.”23 The Natural Resources Defense Council places blame for superbugs directly on overuse of antibiotics in livestock, calling it a “key factor.” Here is the evidence: testing of raw meat from grocery stores has revealed that about half of it contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Those bacteria can latch onto other surfaces in the kitchen, including knives and cutting boards, then be ingested by humans. Also, drug-resistant bacteria has been found in water near hog operations in three states and has been detected in the air downwind of hog farms, the National Resources Defense Council reports. The group’s lawsuit against the FDA is ongoing. Europe has moved faster on the issue. Several countries ban antibiotics in animal feed, although veterinarians still can prescribe them for sick animals.

  “For years, the FDA has avoided taking action by simply refusing to look at the evidence,” said Steven Roach, public health program director for Food Animal Concerns Trust.24

  The FDA released new guidance in 2012 that encourages ranchers to use antibiotics only when medically necessary and with veterinarian oversight. So far, compliance is voluntary, but federal officials said they haven’t ruled out future regulation.

  In 2012, after a federal court ordered the FDA to address the use of routine antibiotics in animal feed, Avinash Kar, a health attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “For over thirty-five years, FDA has sat idly on the sidelines largely letting the livestock industry police itself. In that time, the overuse of antibiotics in healthy animals has skyrocketed—contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that endanger human health. These drugs are intended to cure disease, not fatten pigs and chickens.”25

  The vast majority of antibacterial drugs in this country—about 70 percent—are sold for use in livestock, and most of those are used on animals that aren’t sick, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which also sued the FDA. Despite that, others argue that blaming antibiotic consumption of livestock isn’t entirely fair. Supporters of the livestock industry say hospitals, and the medical community at large, have had a much larger impact on creating superbugs than has consumption of animals that were treated with antibiotics.

  Superbugs have been found in forty-two states.26 Among the most infamous is MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant pathogen that invades hospitals and kills an estimated nineteen thousand people each year. In the spring of 2013, the CDC said it had an alarming number of new reports of so-called Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae or CRE, which are especially virulent and “kill up to half of patients who get bloodstream infections.” The disease looks much like pneumonia. The strength of CRE, like other antibiotic-resistant germs, has much to do with overuse of antibiotics, not in animals, but in humans. Some doctors prescribe them too easily, oftentimes because their patients demand them. The overuse allows many forms of bacteria to evolve and form resistance to common antibiotics. The cycle perpetuates: hospitals have to resort to higher-level antibiotics to treat dangerous infections, the bacteria evolve again in response to the wider presence of the new antibiotic, and so on, until in some cases there are bacteria strains that don’t respond to any known antibiotic. “What consequences does that antibiotic you needed have for everybody else?” asked Dr. Michelle Barron at the University of Colorado Hospital.27 Even flushing antibiotics down the toilet has a communitywide impact in the long run, she said.

  Besides never flushing antibacterial drugs down the toilet, another “for-the-good-of-the-world” action is to seek—and pay extra for—animals and animal products raised by ranchers who pledge they will not use antibiotics. Organic animal products come from animals that have not eaten antibiotics in their food. Specifically, look for USDA Certified Organic, American Grassfed Certified, and Animal Welfare Approved products.

  Many farmers have abandoned the practice of giving the whole herd “just-in-case” antibiotics, not to treat illness but to prevent it. Increasingly, that is no longer seen as ethically sound. But at the same time, it’s unlikely producers of America’s food will stop using antibiotics altogether.

  “In my mind, it would be inhumane not to treat an animal,” Dr. Hale said. “The majority of consumers would agree with that statement.” Producers raising “natural” animals will treat only animals that will become sick, and then sell those animals separately and not under the “natural” label, Hale said.

  As for hormones in meat, scientists have found no evidence of harm to human health. “That’s more of a political, societal decision of how we want to raise our meat—not a personal health decision,” Jay-Russell of the University of California–Davis said. Some consumers, for example, choose to buy milk made by cows that were not given hormones often used to ramp up milk production.

  One study has found that beef that was grass fed, as opposed to the standard feed lot diet of corn, was less likely to have E. coli contamination. Another study showed that feeding cattle grain makes their digestive tracts abnormally acidic, and over time, the E. coli in their guts has learned to withstand that environment. E. coli from grass-fed cattle are not as accustomed to the shock of the human digestive system, which is also acidic.28 Grass-fed beef enthusiasts also argue that their animals are much less likely to have E. coli on their hides when they are sent to slaughter because they have not been raised in the
close quarters of a feed lot, where cattle stand in dirt and manure. There are many studies contradicting the ones mentioned here, however, so it’s clear that more work is needed to determine whether cattle with more room to graze are in fact safer for humans.

  Another thing to consider when you buy local beef is where the animal is processed. Watch out for backyard operations not inspected by the USDA. Some consider beef unsafe, no matter how idealic the ranch or how seemingly content the free-to-graze cattle. That’s because these experts fear what is lurking in the slaughterhouse. Sarah Klein, attorney at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, doesn’t feed her children red meat because she is not ready to expose them to the risks of E. coli.29 “Almost all cows are carrying pathogens in their guts,” she said. “Once you bring it into the slaughter facility, it’s exposed to all the same things as cows raised at the feed lot. Consumers are conflating the ways that food is grown or raised with safety.”

  Echoed egg expert Jay-Russell: “There is a lot of naïveté going on as people go back to the locavore. There is a romanticism that doesn’t appreciate the risks.”

  A main reason people choose to eat locally grown food, and food from small farms, is that they believe those farmers are more intimately familiar with their plants and animals and have a stronger connection—and accountability—to their communities. It’s true that in many cases, food grown locally is easier to trace back to the farmer.

  Consider Mile High Organics, billed as the most transparent grocer that ever existed. The Colorado company that delivers organic, local, and nongenetically modified groceries to customers’ doorsteps in insulated boxes can track its food almost to the exact chicken or cow. If eggs or hamburgers were to make Mile High customers ill, a traceback to the farm could take a matter of minutes, not days.

  Most items—whether a peach, an egg carton, or a bottle of milk—have stickers on them identifying not just the town they came from, but the name of the farm where they were grown. Each customer’s online account includes a list of every product ordered and where it originated. If a customer received something later recalled, they would get an email or phone call directly from the company, not learn on the nightly news they should throw it out. It’s this connection to the customer that provides extra motivation for farmers already trying to ensure their food is safe.

  Every farm is vetted by Mile High staff, which contracts with farms through Colorado and California, among other states. Different from farms that operate on a huge scale, these farms “pay attention to every detail,” said Mile High founder and chief executive Michael Joseph.30 “These people really care about what they do,” Joseph said. “They are using a lot of preventative measures in their practices. We are buying a premium product, and they fetch a really good price, as opposed to more macro-produced agriculture. This is hugely reputation-based.”

  The company has delivered three products later recalled since it became a certified organic grocer in 2012, including one because bits of metal had potentially fallen into bread during the mixing or baking process. “We can go to people with nearly 100 percent certainty and tell them, ‘You got this product delivered to your doorstep,’” Joseph said. Or, in some cases, the company can email its customers and tell them not to fear the spinach that came in their weekly order; it’s not the one on the news contaminated with E. coli.

  Right now, having hand-selected organic produce and hormone-free, locally butchered meats delivered to the doorstep is a way of life for mostly elite eaters. It’s expensive, and it attracts only those who have the combined forces of a roomier budget and the determination to seek out higher-quality food. Promoters, though, feel the trend can spread to more consumers and reach an economy of scale. “I don’t buy the arguments that you can’t feed the world like this. I actually think you can,” Joseph said. “A growing number of people really want that type of transparency. It’s really scary to worry your food is going to kill you.”

  Appendix A

  Resources to Help You Eat Less Dangerously

  Numerous sites online provide up-to-date information on specific food safety events and research on food topics:

  www.foodsafety.gov is a collaboration by the major government players with a hand in the issues, from the FDA to the USDA to the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. It’s a consumer-friendly clearinghouse of links to practical information and advice.

  www.FDA.gov is a good starting point for the latest news on food recalls, recent foodborne illness outbreaks and many other subjects.

  www.USDA.gov has a little bit of everything, from recalls in meat, poultry and egg products, to consumer food handling and cooking tips to the government’s arguments in favor of irradiating consumer products.

  Policy-oriented views and links are at www.foodandwaterwatch.org, which takes on topics such as keeping antibiotics out of animal feed and demanding labeling for genetically modified organisms.

  Pewtrusts.org oversees research and efforts to force the government to change food safety policies.

  County extension agents, often linked to your state’s major agricultural research university, study best practices and try to disseminate them to farmers, distributors, consumers, students and any other group that asks. Find your local network at www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.

  Finally, for the most consumer-accessible yet hard-hitting news on detailed food safety issues, www.foodsafetynews.com has been a reliable link. It’s funded in part by plaintiff’s attorney Bill Marler, a national expert in food safety who litigates cases for victims and openly calls for smarter and tougher government regulation. The site’s journalists consistently break news and seek alternative opinions, while tracking current outbreaks.

  Appendix B

  Food Safety Quick Tips

  At the Grocery Store

  Shop for Cold Items Last

  Shop for dry goods first, then hit the cooler aisles for milk, cheese, eggs, or frozen meats. The total time from the grocery store cooler to your refrigerator should never exceed four hours.

  Put your hand inside a plastic produce bag, reach for packaged meat, then pull your hand through. That way you and your cart never touch the meat package.

  Sign up for a club card with your supermarket. If there is a recall, the grocery store can notify you that you bought the contaminated item.

  Dented Cans and Bruised Fruit

  Avoid buying cans with dents on the lip or the side seam because those weak spots can provide entry for bacteria that could lead to the toxin botulism.

  Experts disagree about bruised fruit. Some say bruises can harbor bacteria, so you’d better toss it; others say buy it anyway and cut well around the damaged section.

  Reusable Shopping Bags

  Wash them occasionally in your washing machine. Separate bags for produce and raw meat are a must.

  Preparing the Meal

  Produce

  Scrub melons, apples, carrots—pretty much all fruits and veggies you are going to eat raw—with a scrubber (like the kind used for potatoes). Occasionally run the scrubber through the dishwasher on the sanitary cycle.

  Don’t bother using soap or a produce-cleaning spray, because there are no data showing these work better than tap water, and soap film clings. Antibacterial cutting boards are not recommended either.

  Even wash bananas if you are going to cut them in half. As with melons and other whole fruit, a knife can drag bacteria from the peel into the fruit. The bacteria continues to grow as the uneaten half sits on the counter or in the fridge.

  Wash produce right before you eat it. Otherwise, the bacteria you didn’t rinse off will continue to grow.

  The water that mists lettuce at many grocery stores might make it crisper, but it doesn’t clean it. Rinse it with tap water at home and let it air dry, or pat it dry. Don’t wash lettuce in a sink bath, and don’t wash pre
washed greens that come in a bag because it only makes them more susceptible to contamination.

  Store meat on the bottom of your refrigerator, below produce that will be eaten raw, to prevent drips of bacteria on your oranges and peppers.

  Meat

  Many experts discourage rinsing meat that will be cooked because bacteria get splashed around the sink and counters. If you are cooking meat to the right internal temperature, those surface bacteria will be killed.

  While Cooking

  DO

  Wash your hands frequently.

  Use separate cutting boards and other utensils for produce and meat. Wash and dry between uses.

  Get a good meat thermometer, and learn how to use it.

  Heat packaged deli meat to steaming before eating. Listeria lurks in the packaging facilities and isn’t deterred by refrigeration.

  DON’T

  Prepare food when you are sick.

  Leave food out for longer than a couple of hours. To kill bacteria, food should be kept hotter than 135 degrees or cooler than 41 degrees.

  Eat raw eggs. If a recipe calls for raw eggs, use either the pasteurized eggs in a carton or ask your grocer to special-order eggs pasteurized in the shell.

  Use the same platter for raw chicken and cooked chicken.

  Cleanup and Leftovers

  Wipe down all used surfaces, including the refrigerator, with a clean cloth and, occasionally, a sanitizer.

  Put cutting boards, sink sponges, and scrub brushes in the dishwasher, and use the “sanitize” or “antibacterial” cycle. You can also do this with lunchboxes or other utensils.

  Discard deeply rutted or damaged cutting boards with hiding places for bacteria.