(Another reason to know your farmer!)
It’s Organic, but Does That Mean It’s Safer?
By KIM SEVERSON and ANDREW MARTIN

MOST of the chicken, fruit and vegetables in Ellen Devlin-Sample’s kitchen are organic. She thinks those foods taste better than their conventional counterparts. And she hopes they are healthier for her children. Lately, though, she is not so sure. The national outbreak of salmonella in products with peanuts has been particularly unsettling for shoppers like her who think organic food is safer.

The plants in Texas and Georgia that were sending out contaminated peanut butter and ground peanut products had something else besides rodent infestation, mold and bird droppings. They also had federal organic certification. “Why is organic peanut butter better than Jif?” said Ms. Devlin-Sample, a nurse practitioner from Pelham, N.Y. “I have no idea. If we’re getting salmonella from peanut butter, all bets are off.” Although the rules governing organic food require health inspections and pest-management plans, organic certification technically has nothing to do with food safety.

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