yes! but better to avoid topsoils read link inside
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no8/03-0033.htm
above is one of many website reads concerning dirt eating.
Through history, even plato wrote about the women of the day eating dirt.
and historically even ancient Swedes added clays to cooked foods.
One of the websites I visited, did point out that the various groups,
worldwide that actively ate dirt regularly (men, women, and children)
would NOT eat topsoil , because of fecal matter, insect droppings,
decaying animals, parasites, bacterias and fungus/molds.
These people tend to *digdown * to the true more antiseptic dirt/clay,
that has much more mineral content to it.
Unfortuneately we are now faced with many contaminants in our soil ,
and in fact, in Anniston, Alabama, Monstanto is being sued by residents there,
whose family members have died from dirt eating, due to the pollution
from a chemical dumping runoff directly connected to the reasons for their deaths.
Hope this helps.
Love,
Ami Joi Benton