Market Farming

[Marcie Rosenzweig <fullcircle AT jps.net>]

Why Certifying organizations don't allow the use of uncomposted manures.

Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network

    Odwalla E. Coli Problem Easily Avoided

    Editorial by Pat Kendall Ph.D., R.D., Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension
    Food Safety Specialist
    November 1, 1996

    The recent recall of Odwalla fruit juice drinks containing
unpasteurized apple juice tainted
    with the 0157:H7 strain of E. Coli is another testimony to how
dangerous this particular
    strain of the common E. coli bacteria can be.

    Should you swear off apple juice and drinks containing apple juice? No,
but you want to
    make sure you are purchasing pasteurized apple juice products. And, as
an extra precaution,
    you may want to consider heating any apple juice products served to
high-risk individuals,
    including very small children, the elderly and those with weakened
immune systems due to
    chronic illnesses. Heating juice to a temperature of 160 degrees F (a
slow simmer where
    steam starts rising from the pan) before serving or refrigerating will
ensure any E. coli
    bacteria present has been killed. If you plan to serve the juice
immediately, make sure it has
    cooled to the point that it's just warm to the touch before giving to
small children.

    How did E. coli get into the apple juice products? The government
doesn't have answers yet.
    However, this is not the first time unpasteurized apple juice or apple
cider has been implicated
    as a cause of E. coli infection. In previous cases, squirrels and farm
animals in the orchards
    were the original source of the E. coli bacteria. The bacteria then
spread via fecal
    contamination to fallen apples that weren't washed before they were
included in a vat of apple
    juice. The vat then was not pasteurized before the juice was sold at
roadside stands.

    E. coli 0157:H7 is an excellent example of good bacteria gone bad.
Whereas most strains of
    E. coli bacteria are harmless, this particular strain attaches itself
to the intestinal wall and then
    releases a toxin that causes severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea
and vomiting that lasts
    a week or longer. It usually takes four or five days for symptoms to
appear. In small children
    and the elderly, the disease can progress to kidney failure.

    First reported in 1982, most outbreaks of illness from 0157:H7 have
been traced to
    undercooked ground beef, raw milk, unpasteurized apple juice,
contaminated water and
    vegetables grown in manure. In one Washington state case, the disease
was passed between
    children through poor hygiene and diapering practices.

    The good news is that E. coli 0157:H7 is easily destroyed by cooking or
heating. In both the
    case of ground beef and apple juice or cider, heating to a temperature
of 160 degrees F
    quickly destroys any bacteria present.

    For more information, contact the State Department of Health's consumer
Odwalla E. coli
    outbreak hot line at (303) 692-2667.

Marcie A. Rosenzweig
Full Circle Organic Farm
Auburn, CA