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" In support of organic farming methods I will quote Paul Hawken of Blessed Unrest "How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming" "Sustainable agriculture addresses a number of issues simultaneously: It reduces agricultural runoff, which is the main cause of eutrophication and dead zones in lakes, estuaries and oceans; it reduces use of energy-intensive nitrogen-based fertilizers; it ameliorates climate change because organic soil sequesters carbon, whereas industrial farming releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and is the second-greatest cause of climate change after fossil fuel combustion; it improves worker health because of the absence of toxic pesticides; it enables soil to retain more moisture and is thus less reliant on irrigation and outside sources of water; it is more productive than conventional agriculture; it is less susceptible to erosion; and it provides habitat for pollinators, birds and beneficial insects which promotes biodiversity. On top of all that, the resulting food commands a premium in the market, making small farms economically more viable." Another note, conventional agriculture allows the use of sewage sludge while Organic standards prohibit its use. "

" No one was sickened by drinking raw milk from Organic Pastures. The company tests its milk every day, and NO pathogens have EVER been found in the milk. Contrast this to milk from factory-farmed animals, where 30% of the milk tests positive for pathogens. However, since the pus and germs are sterilized through pasteurization, it is considered "safe" to drink. Sorry, BigAgra, but your food just doesn't cut it for those of us in the know. "

" actually genetically modified crops have saved billions throughout the world from starvation. I wouldn't say that organics should be treated as an evil of any sort, but let's not pretend that either is some sort of an evil in our world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-8DxHjRHNw "

" A large, industrial farm by chance?? "

" to LC: Yes, as I said Earthbound Farms and Dole are both part of Natural Selections, not the other way around. Dole, which is not organic was found to be a source of the e-coli, but Earthbound Farms was not. Natural Selections is the big umbrella. Earthbound Farms is being blamed wrongly. "

" There are some sick children in California who may disagree with this letter. No, they aren't victims of e coli contamination, but are instead victims of pesticides sprayed on crops. Their parents picked grapes in the 1970's and 1980's and these kids (some now adults) were born with massive birth defects. If you think that poisons aren't going into your body daily, then you are deluded. "

" As Ronnie Cummins points out, it is the practice of agribusiness and biotech-funded think tanks...such as the Hudson Institute, of which Dennis Avery is Director and Alex Avery is director of research and "education"..."to discredit organic farming practices by saying that composted fertilizer containing animal manure, used as a non-chemical fertilizer on organic farms is dangerous." I've read many of Dennis Avery's writings and found most to lacking in fact. To me, he is as credible to the food industry as Donald Rumsfeld is to the U.S. military establishment. "

" The chemicals that are put in the meats and dairy products are not good either. It's all about the money for the companies that are not organic. They want their cows to produce more grow bigger so they can get more money. The same with chickens, they want them to lay more eggs. It's all about more money for them, not about the consumer at all. I agree with Terri, facts need to be straight first before being printed. "

" Are you sure it listed Natural Selections as the GROWER. From what I have read Earthbound Farms products are sold under various names including Natural Selections. "

" If you are not treating crops or other food products for things that are bad or processing them using the methods that have developed over the years to make them not only safer but easier to grow then the final product will obviously not be as good for the end consumer. "

" I wonder where this writer found a source identifying Earthbound Farms as the grower of this spinach. I just read the FDA report about it and it says Natural Selections was the grower. The only name brand listed in the positive testing was Dole, not Earthbound Farms. Dole's spinach is not organic. Both names are part of Natural Selections. Shouldn't viewpoint writers both start with the facts when so much time and money has been invested in ascertaining those facts? If you start with a false assumption, isn't everything that follows just hot air? Why do political people care about organic vs. conventional foods? Why would a responsible newspaper print a viewpoint that begins with a lie? Or is there new information that points to Earthbound Farms? Why doesn't the Pantagraph check these facts before they publish this waste of time? "

" Geez, maybe we're finally seeing another chink in the Healthist's armor. It gives "Food for Life" a totally new dimension. How 'bout "Food for the Next Life." "