Page 19 - Spring2009

Caustic Commentary

sponsored an agriculture “myth buster” lecture series which in cattle is related to a byproduct of ethanol. Called distillers
aimed at debunking the following myths: high milk produc- grain, it became increasingly abundant as cattle feed during
tion burns out cows; grass-fed and organic beef is better for ethanol’s boom in 2006, 2007 and early 2008. A study by
consumers; large scale agriculture is the end of the family researchers at Kansas State University found higher levels of
farm; and agriculture is harmful to the environment. More E. coli O157:H7 in the feces of cattle fed a diet that included
disdain for organic and pasture-based agriculture comes from distillers grain, which is cheaper than corn. Confinement
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), who recently disparaged small dairy operations are now routinely placed near ethanol pro-
and organic farmers during the confirmation hearings for Tom duction plants so the cows can be fed the chemically polluted
Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. Roberts described the ethanol swill—we’ve come full circle to the inner city swill
typical small farmer as literally small—about five feet two dairies of the 1800s, with fingers still pointed at raw milk as
inches—“and he’s a retired airline pilot and sits on his porch the culprit for disease. After citing outbreak after outbreak
on a glider reading Gentleman’s Quarterly—he used to read from beef or produce irrigated with contaminated water,
the Wall Street Journal but that got pretty drab—and his wife Pritzker warns us against drinking raw milk (www.prweb.
works as a stock broker downtown. And he has forty acres, and com/releases/2008/12/prweb1780154.htm).
he has a pond, and he has an orchard, and he grows organic
apples. Sometimes there is a little more protein in those apples A MESSAGE FROM TOMMY THOMPSON
than people bargain for, and he’s very happy to have that.” In an interview on February 11, 2009, the former secretary of
If this description applies to any of our hardworking organic Health and Human Services gives us the math: there are 82
farmers, please let us know. million food poisonings per year, about one per four individu-
als in the U.S., requiring 350,000 hospitalizations and result-
DISTILLERY DAIRIES ing in 8,000 deaths. The FDA has 700 inspectors responsible
According to Fred Pritzker, a Minneapolis lawyer whose law for inspecting 64,000 food facilities. Thus, an FDA inspector
firm specializes in the area of foodborne illness litigation, may get to a food processing plant once every six or seven
the biggest E. coli outbreaks of 2008 show a problem getting years (www.foodhaccp.com/memberonly/newsletter339.
worse. Between June and November, 2007, thirty million html). Solutions proposed range from more inspectors to a
pounds of beef were recalled by twenty different compa- new food agency with police state powers when the obvious
nies. In keeping with the axiom that ground beef is the most answer is the elimination of confinement animal facilities
common vector for E. coli O157:H7, 2008 was marked by in favor of small farms, artisan processing and direct food
multi-state outbreaks of infections that were associated with sales.
beef trimmings for hamburger produced by Nebraska Beef
of Omaha. The company ordered two major recalls of tainted
beef in June and July. But by far the largest E. coli outbreak FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAY READERS
of the year was centered at a lone family restaurant in Locust
Grove, Oklahoma, which sickened 341 people, hospitalized Please note that the mission of the Weston A. Price
72, and led to the death of one 26-year-old man, a gospel Foundation is to provide important information about diet
singer. The year also was highlighted by a major E. coli out- and health to both scientists and the lay public. For this
break related to fresh produce. In 2006, U.S. consumers were reason, some of the articles in Wise Traditions are necessarily
rocked by a deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with technical. It is very important for us to describe the science
that supports the legitimacy of our dietary principles. In
bagged spinach. In 2008, the tainted leafy green vegetable was articles aimed at scientists and practitioners, we provide a
iceberg lettuce bagged at a food plant in Detroit. The outbreak summary of the main points and also put the most techni-
sickened at least 50 people. Some researchers believe a pos- cal information in sidebars. These articles are balanced by
sible explanation for increased prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 others that provide practical advice to our lay readers.

SPRING 2009 Wise Traditions 17