Bird poop on your lettuce might not be as risky as you think.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis found that small bird droppings aren’t much of a food safety risk for crops, pushing back against long-held fears that wildlife near farms could spread harmful pathogens such as E. coli, as reported on Phys.org. This is good news for farmers and anyone who loves leafy greens, showing that not all bird poop means trouble for your food.
Since a major E. coli outbreak shook the leafy greens industry in 2006, growers have been under pressure to eliminate natural habitats near farms to keep wildlife away from crops. But the research, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, suggests that not all bird droppings are created equal — and size matters more than species.
“We wanted to find out the true risk of wild…