Dive Brief:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that organic foods are not necessarily safer than nonorganic foods, and recommends that consumers still take regular safety precautions, Food Safety News reported.
- The CDC conducted a study, published in the Journal of Food Protection this week, of 18 outbreaks from 1992 to 2014 that reportedly involved organic products. Salmonella and E. coli were the pathogens most often responsible, accounting for 44% and 33% of outbreaks, respectively.
- Of the 18 outbreaks, eight were for produce items, four for unpasteurized dairy products and two each for eggs, nut and seed products and multi-ingredient foods. CDC also linked 15 of the 18 outbreaks to foods that were definitely or likely U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic.
Dive Insight:
The CDC said that it needed more data to determine whether organic products were at a higher risk of being unsafe, but the study's findings do seem to refute the common assumption that organic products are safer than other foods.
If the CDC were to find that organic products are at higher risk of pathogen contamination, it's questionable whether manufacturers and consumers would be able to overlook it and concentrate on organic products' other benefits. Would consumers still feel comfortable buying riskier organic products because they believe in supporting environmental stability and products with no chemicals used in their production?