USDA Sued Over Failure to Address High Rates of Fecal Bacteria on Chicken

Dirty Food


 Alarming facts!

Story at-a-glance

• According to preliminary data from the CDC, there were 25,606 food-borne infections, 5,893 hospitalizations and 120 deaths from food poisoning in 2018. In 2017, there were 24,484 infections, 5,677 hospitalization and 122 deaths
• Poultry is a major source of Campylobacter, which has been the most commonly identified infection since 2013. It causes diarrhea and 18% of those affected require hospitalization. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare but possible outcome of Campylobacter infection
• A 2011 study conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) found 48% of the 120 chicken products tested were contaminated with E. coli, commonly found in feces. The following year, repeat testing revealed the exact same result: 48% of chicken products again tested positive
• PCRM filed a petition for rulemaking with the USDA in 2013, asking the agency to regulate fecal contamination as an adulterant. PCRM has now filed a lawsuit against USDA over the agency’s failure to respond
• Studies using DNA matching have shown a majority of urinary tract infections are the result of exposure to contaminated chicken, not sexual contact with an infected person or transfer of your own E. coli from your anus to your urethra
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•  While there are many environmental and human health hazards associated with modern food production, perhaps one of the most pressing concerns for any given individual is the ever-rising risk of food poisoning.
  According to preliminary data from the CDC, there were 25,606 foodborne infections, 5,893 hospitalizations and 120 deaths from food poisoning in 2018.¹ In 2017, there were 24,484 infections, 5,677 hospitalization and 122 deaths.²
  For further comparison, between the years of 2009 and 2015 — a span of six years — there were 5,760 reported foodborne outbreaks resulting in 100,939 illnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations and 145 deaths.³
  According to the most recent report,⁴ the incidence of infection per 100,000 Americans was highest for Camylobacter, which was responsible for 19.5% of all cases — a 12% increase from 2015-2017 — followed by:
  

  Salmonella 18.3% — a 9% increase from 2015-2017

  Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) 5.9% — an increase of 26% from 2015-2017

  Shigella 4.9%

  Vibrio 1.1% — an increase of 109% from 2015-2017

  Yersinia 0.9% — an increase of 58% from 2015-2017

  Cyclospora 0.7% — a 399% increase from 2015-2017

  Listeria 0.3%

  Chicken Is a Primary Source of Many Cases of Food-Borne Illnesses

  While produce has become a significant source of food poisoning — two multistate outbreaks of STEC in 2018 were traced back to contaminated romaine lettuce,⁵ for example — raw chicken remains a primary concern. As noted in the CDC report:⁶
  

  “Campylobacter has been the most commonly identified infection … since 2013. It causes diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and 18% of persons are hospitalized. A rare outcome of Campylobacter infection is Guillain-Barré syndrome, a type of autoimmune-mediated paralysis.

  Poultry is a major source of Campylobacter. In August 2018, FSIS [U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service] began using a new testing method; in a study of that method, Campylobacter was isolated from 18% of chicken carcasses and 16% of chicken parts sampled …

  The incidence of infections with Enteritidis, the most common Salmonella serotype, has not declined in over 10 years. Enteritidis is adapted to live in poultry, and eggs are an important source of infection.

  By 2012, FDA had implemented the Egg Safety Rule, which requires preventive measures during the production of eggs in poultry houses and requires subsequent refrigeration during storage and transportation, for all farms with ≥3,000 hens.

  In 2018, a multistate outbreak of Enteritidis infections was traced to eggs from a farm that had not implemented the required egg safety measures after its size reached ≥3,000 hens.

  Chicken meat is also an important source of Enteritidis infections. In December 2018, FSIS reported that 22% of establishments that produce chicken parts failed to meet the Salmonella performance standard … ”
  

  
  

  Factory Farmed Chicken Is Notoriously ‘Dirty’

  Over the years, food testing has shown that factory farmed chickens (i.e., chickens raised in concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs) are particularly prone to contamination with dangerous pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria that make the illness all the more difficult to treat. For example:
  
  • Consumer Reports testing in 2007 found 80% of whole chicken broilers harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter,⁷ two of the leading causes of foodborne illness. Retesting in 2010 revealed a modest improvement, with two-thirds being contaminated with these disease-causing bacteria.
  Three years later, in 2013, Consumer Reports⁸ found potentially harmful bacteria on 97% of the chicken breasts tested, and half of them had at least one type of bacteria that was resistant to three or more antibiotics.
  • A 2011 study conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) found 48% of the 120 chicken products tested (obtained from 15 grocery chains in 10 U.S. cities) were contaminated with E. coli, commonly found in feces.^9,10 The following year, repeat testing revealed the exact same result: 48% of chicken products again tested positive for fecal bacteria (E. coli).¹¹
  • An Environmental Working Group analysis^12,13 of food testing done by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015 found 36% of chicken breasts, legs, thighs and wings were contaminated with drug-resistant enterococcus faecalis, 71% of which were resistant to tetracyclines.
  

  PCRM Sues USDA Over Failure to Address Contamination Issue

  Based on its 2011 test results, the PCRM filed a petition for rulemaking¹⁴ with the USDA in 2013, asking the agency to address the issue of fecal contamination on chicken by regulating fecal contamination as an adulterant under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. As noted by PCRM in its April 17, 2019, press release:¹⁵
  

  “Although USDA implements a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for fecal contamination, this policy only applies to visible fecal contamination. Chicken products pass inspection as long as feces are not visible to the naked eye.

  The lawsuit and petition quote a federal inspector who said, ‘We often see birds going down the line with intestines still attached, which are full of fecal contamination. If there is no fecal contamination on the bird’s skin, however, we can do nothing to stop that bird from going down that line.

  It is more than reasonable to assume that once the bird gets into the chill tank (a large vat of cold water), that contamination will enter the water and contaminate all of the other carcasses in the chiller. That’s why it is sometimes called ‘fecal soup.’”
  

  In its petition for rulemaking, the PCRM argued that the USDA’s standard of “no visible feces” is woefully inadequate and would be considered “disgusting by the average consumer.” According to PCRM, fecal bacteria really should be regulated as an adulterant.
  The lawsuit arose because the USDA failed to respond not only to the PCRM’s 2013 petition but also to its 2017 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, in which the physicians group sought “documentation of fecal contamination rates detected in poultry slaughter plants and other data related to poultry inspection and slaughter line speed.”¹⁶
  The lawsuit seeks to compel the USDA to provide a “substantive response” to its petition, as well as a response to its FOIA request. The New Poultry Inspection System implemented by USDA in 2014 increased allowable slaughter and processing line speeds to between 140 and 175 birds per minute. According to PCRM:
  

  “Data show that plants operating under this model are more likely to fail USDA’s performance standards for Salmonella, a bacteria found in feces, than those operating under the traditional inspection scheme.”¹⁷
  

  The USDA defends its standard, saying that fecal bacteria and fecal material are not interchangeable terms. KatieRose McCullough, director of regulatory and scientific affairs for the North American Meat Institute, told The Washington Post:¹⁸
  

  “Bacteria like E. coli are naturally present in the environment as numerous studies on all types of items from foods to phones, keyboards and toothbrushes have shown. This does not mean any of those items are contaminated with feces.”
  

  Contaminated Chicken Is a Primary Risk Factor for Urinary Tract Infections

  Food poisoning isn’t the only concern when it comes to contaminated chicken. A form of E. coli known as ExPEC (extra-intestinal pathogenic E.coli) has been shown to be responsible for 85% of urinary tract infections (UTIs).¹⁹ Conventional wisdom has maintained UTIs are primarily caused by a transfer of the E. coli via sexual contact with an infected individual and/or the transferring of fecal bacteria from your anus to your urethra.
  However, more recent studies have shown this to be incorrect, showing a majority of UTIs are in fact the result of exposure to contaminated chicken.²⁰ What’s more, of the 8 million UTIs occurring in the U.S. each year, an estimated 10% are now resistant to antibiotics, which can result in kidney infection and blood poisoning (sepsis).
  Drug resistance has become common enough that doctors are now advised to test for drug resistance before prescribing an antibiotic for a UTI. Part of the problem goes back to the fact that antibiotics have remained widely used in agriculture for growth promotion purposes, allowing resistance to develop.
  As early as 2005, papers were published showing drug-resistant E. coli strains from supermarket meat matched strains found in human E. coli infections.²¹ American, Canadian and European studies^22,23,24 published in 2012 all confirmed close genetic matches between drug-resistant E. coli collected from human patients and those found on poultry (chicken and turkey).
  More recently, a study²⁵ published in the journal mBio in 2018 found 79.8% of chicken, pork and turkey samples purchased from large retail stores in Flagstaff, Arizona, were contaminated with E. coli. The researchers also tested blood and urine samples from people who visited a major medical center in the area, finding E. coli in 72.4% of those diagnosed with a UTI.
  In particular, a strain of E. coli known as E. coli ST131 showed up in both the meat samples (particularly poultry) and the human UTI samples. Most of the E. coli in the poultry was a variety known as ST131-H22, which is known to thrive in birds. This specific strain was also found in the human UTI samples.
  “Our results suggest that one ST131 sublineage — ST131-H22 — has become established in poultry populations around the world and that meat may serve as a vehicle for human exposure and infection,” the researchers noted, adding that this E. coli lineage is just one of many that may be transmitted from poultry and other meat sources to people.
  

  When Buying Chicken and Eggs, Make Sure They’re Organic and Free-Range

  While findings such as the ones discussed in this article are a potent reminder to cook poultry thoroughly and handle it carefully during preparation, another option is to skip CAFO chicken entirely. It’s easily one of the most contaminated foods in the U.S. and also has a weak nutritional profile compared to other protein sources, including pasture-raised chicken.
  For example, a study^26,27,28 by the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA), which compared the nutrient value of pastured chickens with the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference values for CAFO chicken, found pasture-raised chickens contained 406.8% more vitamin E (1.86 IUs per 100 grams compared to 0.367 IUs) and had an average omega-3-to-6 ratio of 1-to-5, which is near ideal, compared to the USDA’s value of 1-to-15.²⁹
  Pastured chicken also had about half the fats of CAFO chicken (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), and 11.1% more cholesterol.
  Considering the hazards associated with raw chicken, if you’re going to eat it, I would recommend making sure it’s organic and free-range, pasture-raised. Ditto for eggs, as CAFO eggs are also far more prone to pathogenic contamination than organic pastured eggs.
  Your best bet is to find a local source of organic, free range eggs. The Cornucopia Institute’s egg report and scorecard ranks 136 egg producers according to 28 organic criteria, is an excellent resource if no local producers are available.
  In June 2017, Cornucopia also began working on a chicken report and scorecard. Considering the egg report took six years to produce, it may still be a while before the chicken scorecard is ready. You can contribute to this report by following the simple instructions listed in their June 13 Action Alert.³⁰
  

  Commonsense Precautions When Handling Chicken

  If and when you do cook chicken, be sure to take commonsense precautions to avoid contaminating other foods and kitchen surfaces and spreading any bacteria that may be present to yourself or others. To avoid cross-contamination between foods in your kitchen, adhere to the following recommendations:
  
  • Use a designated cutting board, preferably wood, not plastic, for raw meat and poultry, and never use this board for other food preparation, such as cutting up vegetables. Color coding your cutting boards is a simple way to distinguish between them
  • To sanitize your cutting board, use hot water and detergent. Simply wiping it off with a rag will not destroy the bacteria
  • For an inexpensive, safe and effective kitchen counter and cutting board sanitizer, use 3% hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Keep each liquid in a separate spray bottle, and then spray the surface with one, followed by the other, and wipe off. Coconut oil can also be used to clean, treat and sanitize your wooden cutting boards. It's loaded with lauric acid that has potent antimicrobial actions. The fats will also help condition the wood
  Also, be sure to wash your hands with warm water and soap before and each time after you handle the chicken. The video below demonstrates how to properly wash your hands to avoid the spreading of bacteria.   
  

  How to Treat UTIs Without Antibiotics

  Lastly, should you contract a UTI, here are some helpful tips. While cranberry juice is often recommended, most cranberry juices are loaded with fructose, which tends to promote health problems when consumed in high amounts. For this reason, I don’t recommend drinking cranberry juice when you have an infection. Since your immune system is already taxed, adding fructose into the mix is inadvisable.
  A far better alternative is pure D-mannose, which is the active ingredient in cranberry juice responsible for its benefit to your urinary system. It can also be derived from berries, peaches, apples and other plants. Pure D-mannose is 10 to 50 times stronger than cranberry and has been shown to cure over 90% of UTIs within one to two days. It’s nontoxic and completely safe, with no adverse effects.

How CAFO Dairies Are Poisoning Hamburgers

Salmonella

by Dr Mercola

 Very Concerning facts about Salmonella in beef.

Story at-a-glance

• Salmonella Newport is strongly linked to dairy cows, which are routinely sold for meat when their milk production wanes. One reason for declining milk production, besides age, is subclinical Salmonella infection, especially S. Newport infection
• October 4, 2018, the world’s largest meatpacker, JBS Tolleson, recalled more than 6.9 million pounds of raw beef due to possible contamination with Salmonella Newport
• Products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection
• A single hamburger patty can contain meat from more than 1,000 animals, so all you need is one sick animal to contaminate nearly unlimited amounts of meat, as it all runs through the same processing equipment and gets mixed together in gigantic batches
• Unlike E.coli, Salmonella is not considered a hazardous adulterant in meat, and processors are not required to test for it. Any recall due to Salmonella contamination is strictly voluntary
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• Earlier this month, the world's largest meatpacker, JBS Tolleson, recalled¹ more than 6.9 million pounds of raw beef processed in its Arizona facility due to possible contamination with Salmonella enterica of the serotype Newport, a more unusual strain of Salmonella.² The recalled products were processed between July 26 and September 7, 2018.
  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), "The products subject to recall bear establishment number 'EST. 267' inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide." In all, the recall affects 49 different JBS product lines, including its grass fed beef sold under the Grass Run Farms name.³
  The first reported illness linked to this Salmonella outbreak was reported September 19. Between August 5 and September 6, another 56 individuals in 16 states fell ill from eating the contaminated products. As noted by USDA:⁴
  

  "Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product.

  The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider …

  FSIS [U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service] is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase."
  

  According to former USDA food safety specialist Carl Custer, this is the largest recall of ground beef related to Salmonella contamination ever recorded.⁵ But just how does the meat of 13,000 animals get contaminated with a pathogen like Salmonella in the first place?
  

  Why Contamination Affects Such Large Amounts of Meat

  The answer is quite simple. While many think of a pack of ground beef as being the meat from an individual cow, it's actually an amalgam of meat from many different cows — a single fast food hamburger can contain meat from more than 1,000 animals,⁶ and all you need is one sick animal to contaminate nearly unlimited amounts of meat as it all runs through the same processing equipment and gets mixed together in gigantic batches.
  It's also important to realize that contamination is far more common than you might suspect — not just from potentially harmful bacteria but also drugs, including banned ones. As recently reported by Consumer Reports,⁷ drugs such as ketamine (a hallucinogenic anesthetic), phenylbutazone (an anti-inflammatory pain reliever) and chloramphenicol (a potent and dangerous antibiotic), are all found in the U.S. meat supply.
  A recent Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of food testing done by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015 reveals 83 percent of all supermarket meats — including turkey, pork, beef and chicken products — were contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis, i.e., fecal bacteria, and a high percentage had antibiotic-resistant bacteria.^8,9
  Sixty-two percent of ground beef samples were contaminated with drug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, 26 percent of which were resistant to tetracyclines. Considering the high contamination rate, the fact that more people aren't sickened and/or killed on a routine basis is likely a testament to the efficacy of the human immune system.
  

  Dairy Farm Identified as Source of Origin of Salmonella Infection

  Knowing that it takes just one sick animal to contaminate enormous amounts of meat, the next question would probably be: Where did the sick animal come from and why was it allowed into the meat supply? According to a report by New Food Economy,¹⁰ the outbreak appears to have originated at a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) for dairy cows. Joe Fassler writes:
  

  "That's important, because dairy cows processed for meat turn out to be a kind of food safety blind spot … [D]airy cows sickened by Salmonella are more likely than healthy ones to be sent to meat plants for slaughter.

  Once there, they're likely to be ground up and used as filler in thousands of pounds of beef, dramatically increasing their risk potential. Perhaps most surprisingly, there's no system in place to track or disarm this risk.

  In fact, thanks to a quirk in food safety law, meatpackers aren't required to test for Salmonella. And even when it is present, the government can't really do anything about it — not even if millions of pounds of tainted product are at stake.

  While we may never know the exact details of this outbreak, we can look to previous recalls for clues — and established facts point to a massive, ongoing food safety crisis hidden in plain sight."
  

  Indeed, the Newport serotype of Salmonella implicated in this outbreak is strongly linked to dairy cows.¹¹ They're a primary carrier of this rarer strain, and as early as 2002 the CDC warned drug-resistant Salmonella Newport in dairy cattle was a growing threat to public health.¹² At that time, the agency said S. Newport accounted for about 140,000 cases of salmonellosis each year, or about 10 percent of all cases.
  An outbreak of S. Newport in ground beef that occurred between October 2016 and July 2017 has also been traced back to dairy cows.¹³ "But how does Salmonella Newport get into dairy cows in the first place, and why is that strain so likely to end up in our hamburgers? This part of the story that has to do with biology, economics and regulation — and it's where things start to get very interesting," Fassler writes.
  

  Sick Dairy Cows Get Sold for Meat

  As explained by Fassler in his New Food Economy article, dairy farming is all about productivity. Each cow must be as productive as possible to make it worth keeping. Once a cow's ability to produce milk goes down, she will be culled,¹⁴ meaning sold for meat. However, while this is standard practice, it's an unfortunate one that significantly raises public health risks.
  The reason why a cow's milk production goes down is typically due either to old age or illness — including Salmonella infection, and S. Newport infection in particular.
  As noted in a promotional pamphlet¹⁵ by veterinary drugmaker Zoetis, one of the primary symptoms of subclinical Salmonella infection in cows is a drop in milk production, typically by about 2.5 pounds of milk per day. And, since only low producers are sold for meat, this means the ground beef you buy is far more likely to contain the meat of old or sick cows than healthy ones.
  The reason dairy cows are typically used for ground beef specifically is because they're bred for milking and not for juicy steaks. Hence at least 20 percent of the ground beef on the U.S. market comes from culled dairy cows.¹⁶
  

  "In this way, a strange kind of logic plays out across the industry: The sicker an animal is, the more likely it is to enter the food supply. Because when cows stop producing milk for any reason — whether it's due to age, stress or disease — we usually end up eating them," Fassler writes.
  

  What's more, while Salmonella only poses a mild risk in milk, thanks to required pasteurization, meat is not pasteurized in the same manner. Many also enjoy their hamburgers on the rare side, which further magnifies the risk of infection.
  

  Inadequate Sanitation Poses Severe Infection Risk

  Unfortunately, infected dairy cow meat can even affect grass fed products, as evidenced in this recall. While CAFO meat really should not be used as filler in certified grass fed products, the infection may still spread via contaminated processing equipment, which by law must take place only once every 24 hours. As noted by Angela Anandappa, founding director of the Alliance for Advanced Sanitation:¹⁷
  

  "When you have a six-week window where you have many, many different types of products implicated, it appears to be a sanitation issue. If equipment wasn't adequately cleaned, Salmonella could have taken up residence. That's very possible here."
  

  Safety risks are further magnified by the fact that 80 percent of U.S. beef products are processed by just four slaughtering companies: Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA and National Beef.^18,19
  With so much meat being processed by so few companies, any given outbreak is capable of affecting enormous amounts of product. As noted by Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrust Institute, "As you become more and more consolidated, with fewer and fewer redundancies, the opportunities for catastrophic breakdowns expand."²⁰
  

  Salmonella-Tainted Meat Is Not Considered Hazardous to Human Health

  Another point of interest is the fact that Salmonella (unlike E. coli) is not considered a hazardous adulterant in meat, and processors are therefore not required to test for it. So, while rigorous cleaning and disinfection of processing equipment combined with testing for Salmonella could prevent many of these kinds of outbreaks, that simply isn't happening.
  The reason for this is because Salmonella is typically destroyed during cooking, so if the raw meat contains the pathogen, it's not considered hazardous to human health.²¹
  "Even if Salmonella-tainted product actually starts making people sick, the government has no legal recourse to force a company to recall it, or to punish a company for distributing it in the first place," Fassler notes. Indeed, meat recalls for Salmonella contamination are voluntary, and not required by force of law.
  This is in sharp contrast to E. coli, which is legally considered an adulterant and must be tested for. Meat found to be contaminated with E. coli is illegal to sell. As a result, food poisoning resulting from E.coli have dropped by 40 percent since 1994, the year it became an adulterant under the Federal Meat Inspection Act.²²
  All of these factors are reasons to buy meat certified grass fed by the American Grassfed Association (AGA). By virtue of how the animals are raised, AGA-certified meats are far less likely to be contaminated with hazardous pathogens in the first place. AGA grass fed certification is also the only label able to guarantee that the meat comes from animals that:
  

  • Have been fed a 100 percent forage diet
  • Have never been confined in a feedlot
  • Have never received antibiotics or hormones
  • Were born and raised on American family farms (a vast majority of the grass fed meats sold in grocery stores are imported, and without COOL labeling, there's no telling where it came from or what standards were followed)

  Two Pending Bills That Could Prevent Food Poisoning Outbreaks

  Clearly, there's plenty of room for improvement when it comes to food safety. At present, there are two pending bills that could help American grass fed farmers and lower the risk of food poisoning that need your support:
  

  • The New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act,^23,24 introduced by U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME). This bipartisan bill would allow meat and poultry that have been inspected through state meat and poultry Inspection programs to be sold across state lines.
  At present, 27 states have inspection programs certified by FSIS that meet or exceed federal inspection standards, but federal law still does not permit products processed at these facilities to be sold across state lines.
  

  "It makes no sense that a local farmer should have to jump through extra federal hoops to compete … if they have proven the quality of their product at a federally-approved state facility. This commonsense legislation gives our state's agricultural sector more flexibility to expand its customer base …" King says.²⁵
  

  • The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act,²⁶ which would authorize states to allow sale of custom-slaughtered meat in-state. At present, small livestock producers are forced to drive long distances to have their animals slaughtered at slaughterhouses that meet federal inspection standards.
  Small, custom slaughterhouses are not permitted to sell any of their meat. These facilities can only be used by the owner of the animal and their family members, employees, nonpaying guests and customers who have purchased an entire animal prior to slaughter through a share program.
  The PRIME Act would allow farmers to sell meat processed at these smaller slaughtering facilities. While critics warn the bill might endanger consumers by permitting the sale of uninspected meat, advocates say it would make sustainably raised local meat far more affordable, as transportation of animals to slaughter is a significant expense when there are so few slaughterhouses available.
  USDA meat inspection also has far from a blemish-free history. Meanwhile, sustainably raised grass fed animals are far less prone to disease in the first place, and since the animals would be processed in extremely small batches — perhaps just a few animals per week — any risk of infection would be contained to a very limited number of individuals buying meat from that specific animal.
  

  Buying Organic and Local Is a Matter of Food Safety

  As mentioned earlier, one of the best ways to ensure food safety is to shop locally from a farmer you know and trust. Most farmers are happy to answer questions about how they grow and raise their food, and will give you a tour if you ask them.
  While many grocery stores now carry organic foods, it's preferable to source yours from local growers whenever possible, as many organic foods sold in grocery stores are imported.²⁷ If you live in the U.S., the following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods:
  

  Demeter USA — Demeter-USA.org provides a directory of certified Biodynamic farms and brands. This directory can also be found on BiodynamicFood.org.

  American Grassfed Association (AGA) — The goal of the American Grassfed Association is to promote the grass fed industry through government relations, research, concept marketing and public education. Their website also allows you to search for AGA approved producers certified according to strict standards that include being raised on a diet of 100 percent forage; raised on pasture and never confined to a feedlot; never treated with antibiotics or hormones; and born and raised on American family farms.

  EatWild.com — EatWild.com provides lists of farmers known to produce raw dairy products as well as grass fed beef and other farm-fresh produce (although not all are certified organic). Here you can also find information about local farmers markets, as well as local stores and restaurants that sell grass fed products.

  Weston A. Price Foundation — Weston A. Price has local chapters in most states, and many of them are connected with buying clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter.

  Grassfed Exchange — The Grassfed Exchange has a listing of producers selling organic and grass fed meats across the U.S.

  Local Harvest — This website will help you find farmers markets, family farms and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass fed meats and many other goodies.

  Farmers Markets — A national listing of farmers markets.

  Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals — The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, hotels and online outlets in the United States and Canada.

  Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) — CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.

  The Cornucopia Institute — The Cornucopia Institute maintains web-based tools rating all certified organic brands of eggs, dairy products and other commodities, based on their ethical sourcing and authentic farming practices separating CAFO "organic" production from authentic organic practices.

  RealMilk.com — If you're still unsure of where to find raw milk, check out Raw-Milk-Facts.com and RealMilk.com. They can tell you what the status is for legality in your state, and provide a listing of raw dairy farms in your area. The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund28 also provides a state-by-state review of raw milk laws.29 California residents can also find raw milk retailers using the store locator available at www.OrganicPastures.com.

   

What’s Making You Sick: An in-Depth Look at Food-Borne Illnesses

What’s Making You Sick: An in-Depth Look at Food-Borne Illnesses:

 Pretty Scary!

 A UAB Infectious Diseases physician discusses bacteria found in food-borne illnesses and why you should wash your hands.

• Hand hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination are key to protecting yourself from contracting bacteria that could cause sickness.
• Babies and senior adults are most at risk.
• Some foods are OK to be left out without chilling or heat, as long as they are cooked thoroughly.
• Wash kitchen utensils thoroughly to prevent contamination of meats, cakes, sandwiches and salads.
• Know what you are reheating. Starch-based foods that have been previously contaminated can cause the bacteria to flourish the second time they are heated.