On the heels of the Cargill ground turkey recall, in which ground turkey meat suspected of being contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella sickened people across the United States, food safety is on everyone’s minds. We want to know where our food comes from. We want to know how it is processed and handled. We want to be sure that the animals from which our food is made are raised in clean, safe living conditions.
And we want to know that there is a system in place to make sure that the people and companies involved in food production are following the rules.
While organic is not a food safety system, many of the requirements for organic are also good food safety practices. Organic producers and processors must keep detailed records from the farm to your table. They are also subject to rigorous announced - and unannounced -certification inspections by third-party inspectors to ensure that they are grown and processed in a manner that you and your family can trust. Plus, all products bearing the organic label must comply with all federal, state, FDA, and international food safety requirements.
For more in-depth food safety 101, visit http://www.organicitsworthit.org/quick/food-safety-101. You can also visit http://www.organicitsworthit.org/learn/food-safety-information to learn more about why organic is worth it to ensure the safety of your food.
