Search
tag

gardening-basics

1 article
Backyard-style compost operations pose higher food safety risks

PubMed · 2026-06-20

A California study of compost from 35 facilities found that officially registered composting operations almost always met safety standards for pathogen reduction, while less-regulated alternative composting sites were the only source of dangerous contamination like Salmonella and E. coli.

1

184 finished compost samples were tested across 35 California organic waste processing sites

2

69.4% of registered facility samples (75 of 108) met the fecal coliform safety limit of ≤1,000 MPN per gram; no pathogens were detected at these sites

3

Alternative, less-regulated processing units had significantly higher fecal coliform levels (β = 1.37) and were the only sites where foodborne pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli were found

mail Weekly plant science — one email, Saturdays.