I have just read on the "Do you wash salad before consumption" thread that human faeces is used as fertiliser in some crops?

[Wrongn3mber]

Why? Isn't this against health and safety? this true? Is there anyway of finding out which supermarkets or brands adopt this practice?

[sandyRoe]

It's not as rare as you might think.

http://www.thisiswest...2-detail/article.html

[Wrongn3mber]

Sandyroe this is news to me and I suspect much of the unsuspecting public. Is human waste the only cheap fertiliser available and just how good is it compared to having no fertiliser at all? Personally if the veg and fruit was labeled as having been grown in human waste i would give it a wide berth and opt for the non human waste alternatives. What are the health implications involved?

[pink-kittens]

cow poo or human poo? not sure which I prefer
It's only objectionable because it's human, no one objects to cow or horses poo for fertilization
Like breastmilk ice cream - objectionable the majority because we dont view it is anything other than outside the realms of 'normal'

[pink-kittens]

"Personally if the veg and fruit was labeled as having been grown in human waste i would give it a wide berth "

Does your lettuce have 'grown in cow sh*te' on the label then?

[ChuckFickens]

Cracks me up seeing townies getting all horrified at stuff like this :)

Guess what, not only are you veg grown in poo, your steak was alive once too.

[ChuckFickens]

Your veg even.... I wasn't calling you a veg :)

[4getmenot]

we all drink eachothers urine at some point too. Where do you think water comes from?

[pastafreak]

Fertiliser is waste...by-products from either animals or humans produced either when alive,or by dying. Doesn't matter what you eat,or if you are a veggie or carnivore....fertiliser is part of your food.

[Wrongn3mber]

So if there were two identical fields of veg and one was fertilised my animal manure and one was fertilised by Human Faeces you really wouldn't mind which one your food came from? Really? 4getmenot yes I'm well aware of the water cycle but the truth being we only have one source of sea, had there been another source I'm pretty sure we'd use one for waste and the other for drinking.

[boxtops]

LOL @ pink-kittens, LOL @ this question - yes, fertiliser is poo. Why should it be different if it's human or beasties, poo is poo!

[boxtops]

where is this "do you wash salad" thread anyway, I can't find it, anyone got a link?

[Wrongn3mber]

Back to the health implications. Is animal fertliser safer than human?

[pastafreak]

What difference does it really make if it has been treated...as it has to be?

[Wrongn3mber]

This one boxtops.

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1023830.html

[boxtops]

Unless you poo direct on your field, it's likely to have been treated in some way - and composting etc breaks down a lot of the nasties.

[DTCwordfan]

This goes on all over the world. Should try living in mainland China.......

Friends who lived over there would wash their veg in a very weak Dettol solution. We never did that but ensured that washing was very thorough.

We only ever had the one really bad dose that nailed the ex - and that was in Hong Kong. I did have a dodgy oyster and suffered, needing an injection to stop the "process."

Worse thing though was the smell.......in China they used to have troughs of excrement to make "night gas" for burning and this was a job for the Bourgeoisie expelled from the cities to tread the shyte.......lovely.

[4getmenot]

its all poo, not really bothered which one. And i defo wouldnt go to great depths to find out where it came from. Its lifes cycle.

[boxtops]

This is the DM and it is three years old, but here's an article http://www.dailymail....fertiliser-crops.html

[4getmenot]

many septic tanks are emptied on fields around here.

[Wrongn3mber]

Maybe as chuckfickens said I'm a "Townie" and was shocked and totally unaware this practice was done as normal. I suppose I'll just have to grin and bear it the next time I eat salad. Thanks for the lesson and opening my eyes all.