Avocados contaminated with listeria. Romaine lettuce recalled for E. coli contamination. It’s no wonder consumers are concerned about getting sick from the very food health experts recommend they eat more of: fresh fruits and vegetables.

The latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serve only to reinforce consumer wariness. The CDC estimates that 48 million people become ill due to foodborne diseases each year. Of those, 128,000 will be hospitalized and 3,000 will die.

Fortunately for consumers who choose USDA certified organic produce, a recent study provides some good news to counter the CDC’s sobering statistics: Food grown in organic fields, teeming with multiple species of dung beetles, is less susceptible to foodborne pathogens.

Read ‘Organic Farming Works with Nature to Reduce Foodborne Illness’