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Links for the Summer 2009 Newsletter

Food Safety Article

Colloquy in the Congressional Record

NSAC's response to the Dingell letter

20/20, Organic Farming, & John Stossel

Excerpt from the column "Off the Editor's Desk"
by Anne Bulford
OEFFA News - Summer 2000

The 20/20 report titled "The Food You Eat - Organic Foods May Not Be as Healthy as You Think" has been aired twice this year on ABC,once in February and once in July, and has been distributed to affiliated stations. On Aug 11 an on-air apology was made regarding misinformation presented in the report.

The apology was focused on the inaccurate reporting of test results commissioned on behalf of ABC. These tests were referred to several times during the 20/20 report. Stossel reported that the tests showed two things. First,that there was no pesticide residue on either the organic or conventional produce tested (a test that was never done) and second that E. Coli levels were much higher on organic salad mix than on a commercial mix posing a dangerous threat to consumers (which was not the conclusion of the lab work). Based on what he understood the test results to be, Stossel asked the hard hitting question "Shouldn't we do a warning that says this stuff could kill you and buying organic could kill you?"

There were concerns regarding the integrity of the report raised early on. DiMatteo was interviewed for the show and was surprised by both the tone of her interviewer and the report that resulted, feeling that both she and the industry had been badly misrepresented. OTA issued a letter to the show's executive producer before it was aired but did not receive a response.

The Environmental Working Group of Washington, DC, further investigated the report and found not only that the tests done for E. Coli were generic tests and not specifically for pathogenic (toxic) E. Coli, but that there was no test at all done for pesticide residue on produce. (There was one done on chicken that showed trace amounts of residue on conventional chickens and none on organic chickens, but this one was not mentioned in the report.)

The Environmental Working Group is accusing Stossel and his team of blatantly fabricating the test and is calling for severe action to be taken. ABC is reporting that the report was an honest mistake. In Stossel's public apology he concluded with "I apologize for the error. I am deeply sorry I misled you. I never want to do that." In his apology, Stossel pointed out that OTA had written a letter restating that organic food is a safe choice in the market and that he wanted to make it clear that he agreed. The producer of the original 20/20 report has been suspended for a month without pay.

Links to More Information

Stossel's Official Apology

An Extensive Article by the Environmental Working Group
Includes links to the original uncut DiMatteo interview, the 20/20 story as aired, a copy of the commissioned lab tests(in the appendix), correspondence with ABC during the investigation and more facts on E. Coli

OTA website