Paul,

I share your skepticism, but still, the FDA's charges need to be
responded
to in some way.  Are 20,000 people a year really getting sick from
sprouts,
or is the government's data bogus?  If it is not bogus, then a more
thoughtful solution to the problem is needed than that of simply
giving up
eating uncooked sprouts.  I suspect the solutions are out there, but
they
don't meet the FDA's conventional "scientific" standards.

I wonder how many of these illnesses involve home-grown sprouts grown
from
organic seeds?  The FDA is concerned that the sterilizing chemicals
are not
killing all of the bacteria.  Organic seeds are not treated with ANY
chemicals.  If the FDA's theory is correct, then consumers of organic
sprouts should be getting sick at an even higher rate.  But I haven't
seen
any data to indicate that this is so.  It shouldn't be too hard to
test.

But let's face it:  there are more bugs on raw food.  Sure, cooking
kills
most of them, but it kills many of the health benefits of the food
too.
Those who think we live in a world of hostile microbes will always
turn to
solutions involving cooking, zapping, or poisoning.  Raw juices in
stores
seem to on their way out, too.  But the way to health lies in focusing
on
making our biological terrain healthy so that we can live in peace
with
these critters, not in trying to kill them off with chemicals, drugs,
cooking, radiation, etc.

Mark
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