The organic industry, which eschews man-made pesticides, herbicides and factory farms, might inadvertently take a hit if people associate au naturale farming with bug-ridden, dirty food — regardless of how fresh it is.

"It is not my intention to damn organic foods, but rather to remind consumers that they have choices to make and there are trade-offs associated with those choices ... ." said Jay Lehr, science director for The Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based think tank that tends to lean right on big-business issues. "The recent E. coli outbreak thought to be tied to organic spinach farms in California should serve to remind Americans that organic food is not necessarily safer food."

Meanwhile, organic groups launched their own defense, saying nothing about the FDA’s investigation of the outbreak thus far indicates the organic farming process caused it.

"Already, some agribusiness-connected Web sites have posted material claiming that this emergency was caused by organic agriculture's dependence on animal manure as fertilizer ... ." Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association wrote on the association's Web site. "The most likely explanation for this outbreak is ... a combination of excess manure, tainted with a dangerous variety of E. coli from factory-style dairy farms adjacent to spinach and lettuce farms, and above-average rainfall and flooding appears to have contaminated irrigation water with E. coli-tainted animal feces, resulting in spinach plants being contaminated with E. coli."

As it turns out, the truth might lie somewhere in the middle of the debate.

"It could happen on any kind of farm," said Tim Elkner, Penn State Cooperative Extension horticulture educator.

"The question is, where was the contamination? Was it on the farm or in the processing line? I'm not comfortable saying there's a link between organic farming and E. coli."

Natural Selections Foods of California recalled all its products containing fresh spinach, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made no distinction between organic and non-organic spinach in its advice to consumers: Don't eat fresh spinach regardless of how it was grown.

And, at least so far, organic growing methods don't appear to be the cause.

"We just got confirmation from the FDA and national agencies that it is not an organic versus non-organic issue in this particular case," said Chris Ryder, spokesperson for the state Department of Agriculture. "In general, these issues are really about how the food is treated before it gets to the consumer, so there's no specific link to whether it's organic or not."

He said farmers who send food to market are required to follow regulations related to packaging, handling, transportation and other issues, regardless of whether the product is grown organically or not.

"In general, with E. coli and other things like that, it all comes down to the way that it's grown and handled," Ryder said. "There are good agriculture practices that all farmers need to follow in areas that seem basic — worker health and safety, transportation, water use, the temperature the food is stored at. All these things play a role whether the product is safe or not."

Giant Foods, the Carlisle-based grocery store chain, posted signs in stores telling customers why the recalled products are not there. Aside from that, Giant officials are keeping an eye on the investigation.

Spokeswoman Tracy Pawelski said organic food consumers are committed to a cause that supersedes product issues that often sway other consumers, such as cost.

"Of course, right now (organic) matters. Customers are playing it safe until they learn more," Pawelski said. "I can't predict the future of the organic food market, so we'll need to wait and see. But there's an understanding that many people who buy organic products are committed to a natural lifestyle and buying those products."

Elkner said consumerism and business climate alike have played a role in more frequent incidents of widespread contaminations. For one thing, one company frequently owns many product labels, so distribution of potentially contaminated product is broader.

And it wasn't that long ago bagged salads were introduced as a quick way to get the extra nutrition of raw vegetables without the hassle. More people are probably eating raw spinach now that it's mass-marketed in ready-to-eat form.

"They've made it more convenient to eat raw spinach, and we know that when you eat raw fruits and vegetables, you get more nutrients," Elkner said. "So now we're trying to eat better, and all of a sudden, we're exposed to more of these things. You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't."

And on top of that, micro-organisms like E. coli are changing, too, making safely treating raw foods a more difficult task.

"I asked a food science professor from Penn State if the media is getting the news out faster (about contaminations) or if they're more potent bugs than they used to be," Elkner said. "He said it's a combination of both. The organisms are becoming more toxic, and then the media gets a hold of the story."

How the consumer perceives organic versus non-organic after the most recent E. coli outbreak might just depend on how the FDA’s investigation plays out.

"I think what's going to happen is bag salads will take a short-term hit because consumers are concerned right now," said John B. Lord, professor and chair of the Department of Food Marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "It's likely some companies might not be able to recover. That remains to be seen."

Lord cited two businesses that irrevocably suffered after being linked to food poisoning. In 2003, 650 people got Hepatitis A and four died after eating tainted onions served at a Pittsburgh-area location of the Mexican restaurant chain Chi-Chi's. The chain went bankrupt following the contamination.

In 1997, Hudson Foods recalled 25,000 pounds of E. coli-contaminated ground beef — the nation's largest meat recall in history — after a dozen people in Colorado became ill.

The company was sold to longtime rival Tyson Foods.

"These companies were essentially put out of business," Lord said. "In this case, obviously there will be a question now about fresh produce, bag produce and organics. The industry will have to tighten up just like they did with the ground beef industry."

Where one industry falls, another might be reborn. Several years back, Proctor & Gamble launched Fit, a rinsing aid for fresh produce. Lord said the product came before its time, but he wouldn't be shocked if P&G relaunched it in the future.

"It really did sanitize food, but it just didn't sell," Lord said. "It was a product that required habit change. People are generally confident in the integrity of the food system, and maybe they're a little lazy, too. The fact is, until a scare strikes close to home, you don't really change your behavior."

This might be a good time to make new habits, though. While E. coli seems to be a modern threat, it has been around forever. On the other hand, the world has changed.

"E. coli is something we're just going to have to live with," Elkner said. "I'm sure this won't be the last time it shows up."