Shame on you John Stossel and ABC 's 20/20

[ Write John Stossel ]

February 10, 2000

John Stossel’s report on the dangers of organic food (which aired on 20/20 on Friday, February 4, 2000), was just another irritating installment in his ongoing series of pro-corporate / anti-environment junk journalism broadcasts. He apparently subscribes to the belief that ‘a lie oft repeated becomes true.’ His assertion that "Buying organic could kill you," is a prime example of his reprehensible, inflammatory and industry-funded lies.

It came as no surprise that Stossel would turn to Dennis T. Avery, another industry serf, as his primary source. His modus operandi is: if the truth is inconvenient, make up new facts to support your argument. Avery is a vocal advocate of high yield agriculture which depends on the routine dousing of our farmlands with toxic pesticides. The author of a misguided and maligned book entitled Saving the World with Pesticides and Plastics, Avery works for the Hudson Institute, a conservative ‘think tank,’ which according to the Organic Trade Association, receives funding from agri-businesses like Monsanto and Dow Elanco.

Marian Burros, the highly respected food columnist for the New York Times, interviewed Avery for her column (February 17, 1999) with the headline: "Eating Well: Anti-Organic and Flawed." Burros noted that "Dennis T. Avery wants organic food to go away," and she pointed out the errors in a majority of his contentions. For example, he told Burros that people who eat organic and natural foods are eight times as likely as the rest of the population to be attacked by the deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria (0157:H7). According to Burros, Avery’s statistics were not based on fact. In my opinion, they derive from his own vested and willful ignorance.

Let’s look at some of the Stossel and Avery distortions and fallacies:

• "Organic produce is more likely to contain E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria than food grown on industrial farms." Avery attributed this to a study from the CDC. (MYTH)
•  The fact is that there is no reputable scientific evidence to indicate that organic products are more likely to be contaminated by E. coli.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said: "The CDC has not conducted any study that compares or quantitates the specific risk for infection with Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and eating either conventionally grown organic/natural foods. "
• You are far more likely to encounter E. coli, eating hamburgers than organic produce of any kind.
• "Organic agriculture is more dangerous because of its heavy reliance on manure." (MYTH)
• Industrial, chemical and organic farms all fertilize with animal manure. But certified organic farms must compost manure before using it --- a process that reduces the bacteria hazard. Certified organic farms are strictly prohibited from using raw manure for at least 60 days before harvesting crops grown for human consumption. And certified organic farms are regularly inspected by independent agents to ensure that the farmers adhere to strict guidelines for using manure and other organic practices. In contrast, use of manure on industrial farms is NOT uniformly regulated or inspected.
• Because bacteria can be found on both conventionally and organically grown produce, experts recommend that consumers routinely wash all produce after bringing it home.
• "Organic farmers don’t pasteurize their products or use bacteria-killing chlorinated water." (MYTH)
• The fact is that both these practices are permitted by organic standards currently applied by the major certifying agencies and within proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture National Organic Standards.
• Organic farmers adhere to the same health and safety standards as any other food producer, along with even stricter standards enforced by organic certifying agencies.
• "Organic food is no more nutritious than conventionally grown products." (MYTH)
• Research from the University of Copenhagen, recently reported at the annual meeting of the Soil Association in Britain, found that organic crops contain between 20 to 40 percent higher levels of vitamins and minerals, and more secondary metabolites, important for chronic disease prevention.
• Director Patrick Holden of the UK’s Soil Association, reports that "intensive farming produces devitalized food."
• "If we’ve got no deaths from pesticides and 5,000 deaths from bacteria, it’s pretty clear to me that we should be worrying now primarily about the nasty new bacteria." (MYTH)
• I would ask Dennis T. Avery to produce his references on the ‘safety’ of pesticides.
• Pesticides are POISONS. They are carcinogenic, immunotoxic and neurotoxic. Many are endocrine disruptors.
• The National Poison Control Centers report 110,000 pesticide poisonings per year.
• According to a report by the International Labour Organization (1997), up to 14 percent of all occupational injuries in the agricultural sector and 10 percent of all fatal injuries can be attributed to pesticides.
• Organic foods are lifesavers because they are grown, processed and handled without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical additives.

These facts will not cease to exist because Stossel and Avery choose to ignore them!

The bottom line is that I (like many other 20/20 viewers) am repulsed by the cacophony of industry-funded lies and distortions that John Stossel tries to pass off as scientific facts. We are tired of his arrogant disdain for the truth. His reports amount to nothing more than an EMPTY HARVEST.

Sincerely,

IRENE WILKENFELD
Environmental Health Consultant
SAFE SCHOOLS
8818 Sherman Mountain Road
Cheyenne, WY 82009
[307] 772-0655
irw@uswest.net

Copies:
- John Stossel, reporter
- Barbara Walters, 20/20 anchor
- Roone Arledge, President, ABC-TV News
- Michael Eisner, Disney
- David Westin, President of ABC-TV Network Group
- Richard Wald, Senior VP of Editorial Quality
- Alan Wurtzel, Senior VP of News Magazines

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