European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Keene inspects some of his product. A we re leaders in the Field in letting people understand what healthy eating is and what it Means says his wife Ruth Keene Anderson 43, Secretary and treasurer for Walnut acres. Although exact figures Are not available experts say organic farms account for 1 percent to 5 percent of the nation s farms. The definition of organic varies from state to state however and the ensuing confusion has prompted some to Call for Federal standards. The . Department of agriculture in 1980 defined organic farming As a production system that avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers pesticides growth regulators and livestock feed additives. Organic farms rely on crop rotation crop residues animal manure and mechanical cultivation. There is a need for greater uniformity says Patrick Madden professor of agricultural economics at Pennsylvania state University. Vegetables Grain and other crops native to Pennsylvania Are grown at Walnut acres. Rice nuts dried fruits and other non indigenous products Are furnished by organic farms elsewhere that meet Walnut acres standards. Chickens and Holstein cattle Are raised naturally on neighbouring farms with Access to the outdoors pesticide free feed and no growth stimulants. The meat is used for soups stews and sauces. Walnut acres products Are sold at a store on the premises and in health food shops around the country As Well As through the mail. The items Are by no Means cheap. Peanut butter costs $3.29 a Pound for example while a 16-ounce can of Chicken Gumbo soup retails for $2.75. Emma Mattern 57, a 29-year employee who s now marketing manager tells workers not to pack or ship anything they would t put in their own pantry. Rma Bombeck Erma Bombeck is on vacation. This Best of bom Beck column was originally published in 1984. All my life i have been looking for a sport that features a cute outfit that i can Wear to do my grocery shopping requires no More Effort than putting one foot in front of the other allows me to keep my next meal strapped to my Back and offers the cheap thrill of having someone breathe heavily behind me. I be found it Cross country skiing. Imagine. No ambulance parked at the Bottom of the Hill. No tents at the finish line offering blankets and intravenous feeding. No standing around trying to find your pulse to see if it is accelerated. I know there is a lot of curiosity about Cross country improper food handling by Daniel p. Puzo los Angeles times Consumers not manufacturers Are to blame for the majority of America s food borne illnesses according to Federal health officials. The Home is the most Likely place for food contamination said Douglas l. Archer ph.d., director of the . Food and drug administration s microbiology division. Manufactured food accounts for a very Small percentage of these episodes there Are Between 20 million and 40 million reported cases of food poisoning annually in the United states with the Cost in medical Bills lost wages and product recalls As High As $10 billion Federal estimates show. Archer s comments were echoed in varying degrees by several other government officials who made presentations at a food safety and nutrition update conference in san Francisco sponsored by the . Department of agriculture and Fra. The cumulative message in Archer s words was that the United states has the safest food Supply in the  and when illnesses occur it is often an instance of improper food handling storage or cooking in the Home he said. Despite the upbeat analysis though Federal data indicate that there Are increasing instances of microbiological contamination traced to conditions existing at the production stage of commodities such As meat poultry eggs Dairy products and seafood. But health officials maintain that bacterial and viral threats when they do exist can be negated if Only Consumers observe sanitary practices in their own kitchens. In explaining the agencies current educational efforts Catherine e. Adams ph.d., of the . Department of agriculture s food safety and inspection service said Consumers react when they Are scared. Unfortunately they Don t respond to  however some government representatives attending the conference privately acknowledged that Industry Trade group pressure on Fra and the . Department of agriculture is partially responsible for the decidedly positive View of the food Supply s wholesomeness. And several recent contamination instances detailed at the gathering show the scope of problems posed by harmful bacteria. They Are the presence of Salmonella enter Ditis in raw and undercooked eggs caused two dozen deaths and thousands of illnesses from salmonellosis in the northeastern and mid Atlantic states since health officials discovered a dramatic Rise in such cases in 1984. Scientists now believe that the bacteria develop in the Yolk before a Shell is formed. Archer says that it will be two years before the contamination is brought under control. Incidents of Escherichia Coli a bacterium that in severe cases can cause chronic kidney failure and bloody diarrhoea have risen sufficiently to cause the . Department of agriculture to intensify surveillance of beef for the Pathogen s presence. The bacteria Are believed to have caused an epidemic in Minneapolis after school children were fed precooked beef patties a manufactured product that Only required reheating before serving. Archer believes that this particular Strain of Escherichia Coli is spreading from raw and undercooked beef raised in the Northwestern United states much in the same Way that Salmonella enter Ditis in eggs originated in the Northeast. While Escherichia Coli is the fourth most common form of food poisoning nationally it is the third most prevalent Type in the Northwest. Federal officials Are warning that the emergence of fully and partially cooked entrees in supermarkets can Lead to increased problems with listeria Monocyte genes. The products some of which Are also known As ready to eat foods Are particularly vulnerable to bacterial growth if there is improper storage. Part of the problem with listeria Monocyte genes is that it grows in the cold and that typical refrigeration temperatures Are not Low enough to inhibit the Pathogen. The potential presence of listeria Monocyte genes in refrigerated meat products concerns us said Adams of the . Department of agriculture. Furthermore government Laboratory tests of production facilities and food items have found listeria in All product categories. There have been several recent episodes where Clostridium botulinum has been linked to improperly stored partially cooked vegetables such As garlic onions and cabbage said Archer. Botulism a severe illness that is often fatal was believed to be eradicated by proper Canning techniques. But the latest episodes were linked to Fried onions garlic in Oil Cole Slaw and baked potatoes. In each Case the food was stored in conditions that allowed the botulinum spores to develop. We were surprised that botulinum could grow on garlic or onions but bacteria change Over Tim and they do it rapidly and adapt Well Archer said. O the practice of feeding meat animals antibiotics or growth hormones continues to create controversy. The growth hormones which Are the same anabolic steroids used by some athletes promote muscle development and growth in animals. Over Long periods of time excessive Antibiotic use can promote the development of super or hard to kill bacteria. These pathogens if consumed by humans via the meat cause illnesses that do not respond to Antibiotic treatment. When you feed antibiotics to animals you do create populations of organisms that Are drug resistant said Gerald guest director of the Fra s veterinary Medicine Center. Bacteria aside residues of antibiotics and growth hormones in meat Are believed however to be Safe said guest. Even so the european economic Community has announced it will no longer accept american beef that has been treated with such growth hormones beginning january 1. Earlier this year the Fra warned Consumers about eating raw or undercooked oysters from the Gulf of Mexico because of the presence of Vibrio Vul ficus. Archer believes that there will be increasing problems for the seafood Industry because of this and other viruses found in shellfish. It will become More and More difficult for the raw shellfish Industry to operate As the water gets dirtier and Pristine conditions Are harder to find he said. The Fra has Long warned the Public against eating raw fish and shellfish. No one can write Consumers a guarantee that they won t get sick from microbial agents in food said Archer. But Public education has to be a part of the program. We can t look at food borne disease and keep Chipping away at just one part manufacturing  skiing so i will try not to get technical. As with any sport basically what we Are talking about is coordination. I cannot Tell you How important it is to coordinate your entire outfit at one time. The knickers should fit Well and be something Eye catching preferably Matching one s lightweight jacket. A Cotton Turtleneck or Scarf tucked smartly under a Blouse is a Nice touch. Socks should be dark to help keep the calves from looking like piano legs. A lot of people Wear Thermal underwear but personally i find it too warm for the supermarket. What i really love about the sport is that you Don t have to Wear those awful Caps that flatten your hair and make it look like an unmade bed. I prefer earmuffs. Another tip is to avoid needless exertion. That is Why i Fry my Chicken the night before and pack the Knapsack with Small bread and butter sandwiches thermoses of hot soup and hot chocolate Candy bars and of course a Corkscrew. Setting your Pace As you go is very important in Cross country skiing. If you tear off in a kick Glide movement the Way you Are supposed to you will never meet anybody. As with most sports Cross country skiing improves with time and practice. After a while you learn that if you look too frightened to move someone will Clamp your skis on for you pull your gloved hands through your poles and never leave your Side. As for the Promise of great personal satisfaction i would t know. Maybe i will discover that next week when i venture out of the parking lot. C 1989ermabombeck saturday january 21,1989 the stars and stripes Page 17