Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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I Say It's Spinach
I've been waiting for this. The Heartland Institute is the first, on my radar at any rate, to lay blame for the E. coli-laden spinach debacle right on the doorstep of organic agriculture in general.
"The recent e. coli outbreak thought to be tied to organic spinach farms in California should serve to remind Americans that organic food is not necessarily safer food," says Jay Lehr, Heartland's science director, in a statement.
Heartland has also sent out a news release quoting Richard McGuire, a former New York State agriculture commissioner:
"Why is it the words 'organically grown' conjure up 'safety' in the public's mind? Why is it people choose to reject the vast amount of research that has been carried out at land-grant colleges across the country to improve the quality and safety of the food we eat? Instead they choose the potentially dangerous 'organic' and 'natural' foods associated with the nostalgia of the 'good old days.' The food of the good old days was not that good!"
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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