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SPINACH SHAKEOUT

A familiar refrain could be heard in the days after the September outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in bagged spinach. A handful of commentators decried the unsanitary and unsustainable farming practices that had put U.S. consumers in danger. Yet these complaints didn't come from the familiar pro-organic crowd. They came from two conservative think tanks, the Hudson Institute and the Heartland Institute.

A familiar refrain could be heard in the days after the September outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in bagged spinach. A handful of commentators decried the unsanitary and unsustainable farming practices that had put U.S. consumers in danger.

Yet these complaints didn't come from the familiar pro-organic crowd. They came from two conservative think tanks, the Hudson Institute and the Heartland Institute. Both pre-emptively blamed organic farming in newspaper editorials peppered with references to the use of cow manure as fertilizer. It wasn't either group's first attack on the organics industry, and it won't likely be their last.

These particular allegations were proved false, however, when the source of the outbreak was traced to a conventional dairy operation neighboring a conventional spinach field. Irrigation, contaminated floodwater and even wild boars were implicated.

The small outbreak of botulism that followed close behind the spinach scare was less clear-cut. Although the infections were definitively linked to organic carrot juice supplied by Bolthouse Farms, improper refrigeration at some point in the supply chain — rather than a problem at the farm — was the most likely culprit.

But both of these incidents highlight a real vulnerability for a category that earns its premium on the consumer's expectation of best practices at the farm. Major foodborne illness outbreaks are made possible partly by the size of an operation and the complexity of its supply chain. And, as organic suppliers grow larger and become more mainstream, so do their considerable risks in this regard.

“If it were caused by a small, 10-acre farm, maybe it never would have gotten out into the public,” said Bob Scowcroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation, referring to the carrot juice case. “But the structure and size of this operation were such that it ended up in Canada.”

Like many of the farmers and leaders who have helped grow the organic industry since its earliest stages, Scowcroft is somewhat torn regarding the pros and cons of the industry's sudden popularity. However, he noted that among core consumers and smaller retailers, scares like these are apt to lead to even more discussions about local sourcing, diversification of suppliers and buying organics directly from the farm.