Organic food

Food safety experts have revealed that organic food is not safer than conventional food.

Food safety experts have revealed that organic food is not safer than conventional food.

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"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, a food science professor at the University of Nebraska.

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 organic chickens were equal to those raised conventionally. The problem is fecal contamination from wild and domestic animals on the organic farm and field.

"This is particularly a problem on smaller organic farms, which don't have the closure of larger farms," Trevor Suslow, a researcher at the University of California at Davis', said.

The researchers also note that rigorous washing techniques can also eliminate some, but not all, contamination. They have called for more aggressive study of how various methods used to control bacteria in traditional animal processing operations can be adapted to the organic food production systems.