When an upper crust food chain like Whole Foods finds itself down in the muck with the likes of Nebraska Beef, its going to get noticed.  And there’s been plenty of attention to Whole Foods stooping so low.  Consider “Holy Cow, Whole Foods Linked to E. Coli Outbreak” in The Checkout Blog found on the Washington Post website.

The writers use the occasion to warn upper crust food store customers that they too are at risk.   The Checkout warns:

Some people also assume that the foods there are safer–as well as at farmer’s markets or Uncle Joe’s farm–from a pathogen standpoint because they “know” the cow or believe the person or store selling meat to them does. But food safety experts say that that assumption might be dangerous.

If you don’t believe me, check out a Consumer Reports story that ran last year. CR tested various chickens, including organic ones, for campylobacter and salmonella. The report titled Dirty Birds , found that the organic variety had just as much campylobacter and more salmonella as the conventional broilers.