The key words are "natural base." What they did was take their regular synthetic fertilizer and add some chicken compost. Then the marketing guys had a dilemma: How to sell the stuff. Do they say, "Our same powerhouse of proven chemicals PLUS compost," or do they switch it around to appeal the the organic people and say, "We started with a 'base' of natural ingredients and bumped up the effectiveness by adding just the tiniest smidge of our tried-and-true synthetics." If you look carefully at the ingredients, it has all the synthetic chemicals in it that regular synthetic fertilizer has.

I believe the bacteria involved in soft cheese is Listeria, which can multiply under the right conditions and become the toxin Listeriosis. The CDC estimates that approximately 1600 illnesses and 260 deaths due to listeriosis occur annually in the United States. It's been associated with Mexican-style soft cheese, and other types made with unpasteurized (raw) milk, but other dairy products as well -- generally from lack of pasteurization, OR introduction of the bacteria at some point after it's been pasteurized, OR post-processing contamination from unpasteurized milk. Listeria can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) conditions. The bacteria multiply best at 86-98.6 degrees F, but it also multiplies better than all other bacteria at refrigerator temperatures. I believe these are the reasons not to vacuum-seal soft cheeses. Vacuum-sealing might encourage keeping them much longer than might be safe. We consume all kinds of bacteria all the time, it's when it's in the right environment that the bacteria multiply and become a toxin. It's the toxin that's the problem, and that doesn't happen with much regularity. The challenge comes because we don't know if the bacteria is actually present to begin with, and that is why we should practice good food safety rules when choosing, handling, preparing and storing foods of all kinds. Vacuum-sealing just isn't the appropriate method for everything. Factors that increase Listeria's potential to human health: (source: linked below) 1. Grow at refrigerator temperatures, 32-degrees F and above. 2. Grow in an acidic (as low as 4.4 pH) or basic (as high as pH 9.6) environment. 3. Tolerate low moisture environments; it has been detected in hard fermented salami. 4. Grow under anaerobic conditions at refrigeration temperatures. This property makes Listeria a potential threat to the safety of foods packaged under vacuum or modified atmospheres as the growth of this microorganism is not inhibited in vacuum packaged food items. 5. Grow at extremely high salt concentrations, especially at refrigerator temperatures. It has been detected in commercial cheese brines. Thus, cheese brines should be considered as potential sources for cross-contamination. 6. Due to Listeria's ability to attach to different surfaces, packaging materials can be a potential source of contamination. I've been using a FoodSaver since 1986 (on my 3rd one) and I have practiced home food storage since that time and vacuum\-seal large quantities of dry goods (both bags and jars), refrigerated and frozen foods \- without incident. Dry goods stored at room temperature need to be at 10% moisture or LESS. Things I DON'T vacuum\-seal because the moisture level is too high for dry\-packing using a vacuum\-seal is brown sugar and popping corn. I also avoid vacuum\-sealing home\-dehydrated foods because in most cases the percentage of moisture left in the food is unknown. Home\-dehydrated foods are also short\-term storage foods which should be used relatively quickly and store well in an airtight container. When it comes to the freezing foods that are raw, fresh, or cooked, you simply apply good food handling practices and incorporate the proper practices for thawing to increase a safe food supply. At least 80% of the food items in my freezer are vacuum\-sealed. I can "flip" through the baskets that contain frozen fruits, vegetables, breakfast meats, pre\-cooked meats in individual servings, portioned ground meat (raw and pre\-cooked) as well as all meat purchased in bulk, stacks of homemade bean burgers/tuna or salmon patties...... Chili, soup, pasta sauce, sloppy joe mixture, etc., are all frozen in user\-friendly sized containers. Once they are completely frozen, I pop them out of the containers (now the plastic containers can be used for something else), stack the food cubes and vacuum them. I can quickly use one frozen cube of chili to turn into a taco salad meal, topping for baked potatoes, or as a soup. I generally portion foods first, quick\-freeze them, then vacuum\-seal them. I cook for 2 adults, but I make most things in large amounts (cook once for many meals) and freeze them in portions. These are my "convenience" foods. I probably only make mashed potatoes 2 or 3 times a year (after my spring harvest, fall harvest, and when I find potatoes BOGO), but always have portions of freezer mashed potatoes ready to thaw, heat and serve. I also freeze portions of cooked grains and beans. I just made a large batch of black beans and I quick\-froze them on a rimmed baking sheet covered with a sheet of FREEZER paper. When they were completely frozen, I lifted the freezer paper and the beans loosed from the paper. I then used the freezer paper as a funnel to pour the loose beans into a FoodSaver bag. With the opening of the bag to one side, smooth the beans into a single layer and vacuum\-seal the bag shut. When you need some black beans, cut the bag open, give it a tap and the beans will once again become individual frozen beans and you should be able to measure out the amount you need. I try to freeze foods in a single layer this way. Then they are easy to "file" in my small plastic baskets that line my freezer shelves. I always re\-package commercial frozen foods into FoodSaver bags so they last longer. \-Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: [Food Safety \- Listeriosis \#9.383](http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09383.html)

I should add, as an example, that the Home Depot cheap orange 5 gallon "Homer Buckets" are made of HDPE. HDPE is commonly used to bottle consumables such as milk and water, and is also used as liner material in cereal boxes. Yes, it does emit very small amounts of chemicals with biological activity, as do just about all plastics, but is considered a "low hazard" plastic by the FDA. You can recognize HDPE material by the number "2" in the triangular recycling symbol imprinted on them. The moniker "food grade" is applicable to most, but not all, HDPE materials. I think some HDPE materials are slightly degraded by highly acidic solutions (e.g. pickles), and those are not formally considered food grade. But as noted, for compost, you've got nothing to worry about.

There's a difference between void of air vacuum and a vacuum seal. As Dcarch will say, even a vacuum sealer doesn't suck out all the air. A vacuum seal is about the quality of the seal. It's that suck it in to make a pressure difference thing. Makes it hard to get the lid off. Keeps things in and out. But it's not a preservation method. Food lasts a lot longer than most people credit. The problem is guaranteeing it. People used to keep food on an open shelf. People also used to die from "tainted" food all the time. The point of a method of preservation, rather than just winning the is my food spoiled lotto, is that you know that it's okay to eat. Frozen food can be freezer burnt as all heck, a nasty texture, and taste awful, but if it was wrapped decently and not thawed and refrozen, just sitting there in the bottom of the freezer forever will every bit of moisture migrated and crystallized, you could eat it and it would be fine. Same with properly canned items. If they have been stored properly, and the jar/can is intact, it can be way past its best by date but still won't make you sick. That's preserved. I saw something disturbing this evening and thought of this thread. On Top Chef the contestants were asked to make a "product" that the public could take away from their stations at an outdoor mall. They did the cooking in the show's kitchen set, and used bare hands, spoons and funnels to fill jars. No discussion of preservation or health issues. The closest was the next day at the mall where one contestant was asked if the goop needed to be refrigerated and the contestant said it was "shelf stable". Yeah right. The only thing I can think of is that they could have had the jars actually canned. There are places that use commercial machinery for short runs. I know they can safely can things that a home canner can't even with a pressure canner, but still I'd think the recipes would have to be vetted in some way. And I really don't think they did that. I'm guessing they're covered by the cottage industry law, but I sure wouldn't want to be be tasked with poisoning people...