ANOTHER reason to go organic!

QUICK FACTS OF THE WEEK:
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT E.COLI AND ORGANICS

* Despite a number of inaccurate media reports, the recent spinach E.Coli
outbreak has not been linked to any organic products. As expected,the
outbreak has now been directly linked to a factory farm feedlot located
adjacent to conventional spinach fields in California.
* This was the 25th E.coli outbreak in the California Salinas Valley in
11 years, demonstrating, once again, that industrial farms and feedlots and
their toxic runoff are inherently dangerous.
* Studies show that factory-farmed cattle have 300 times more pathogenic
bacteria in their digestive tracts than cattle that are allowed to openly
graze in pastures.
* If you are concerned about E.coli, organic food is the way to go. The
USDA national organic standards require organic farmers to carefully compost
their fertilizer-- made up of animal manure and plant matter--up to 160
degrees, so as to kill any harmful bacteria.
* Organic farmers can only apply this composted manure four months prior
to planting.

* Conventional farms have no regulations specifying when they can and
can't apply manure and are not required to destroy the harmful bacteria in
the manure prior to spreading. In addition, it is perfectly legal to spread
highly toxic sewage sludge on conventional farms, while this practice in
banned on organic farms.

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3140.cfm