Alexis Temkin of the Environmental Working Group said: ‘The Shopper’s Guide to Produce is building on a body of evidence that shows mixtures of pesticides can have adverse effects.’
Credit: Dave Martin/AP
About 70% of fresh produce sold in the US has pesticide residues on it even after it is washed, according to a health advocacy group.
According to the Environmental Working Group’s annual analysis of US Department of Agriculture data, strawberries, spinach and kale are among the most pesticide-heavy produce, while avocados, sweetcorn and pineapples had the lowest level of residues.
More than 92% of kale tested contained two or more pesticide residues, according to the analysis, and a single sample of conventionally farmed kale could contain up to 18 different pesticides.
Dacthal – the most common pesticide found, which was detected in nearly 60% of kale samples, is banned in Europe and classified as a possible human carcinogen in the US.
“We definitely acknowledge and support that everybody should be eating healthy fruits and vegetables as part of their diet regardless of if they’re conventional or organic,” […]
There’s another, hidden problem that needs to be addressed when it comes to organic. While living on the mainland in WA state, I became friends with a married couple who had a large organic farm and a CSA program, selling their produce to the community at large. They told me they were getting ready to move out of two of their growing fields. Apparently, the fields that were adjacent to theirs were being farmed non organically and the pesticides being sprayed were traveling to their fields. They also told me that other organic farmers were experiencing the same on their land. So, while it’s definitely a step up to purchase organic, we need to continue work together to change the industry. There are already a lot of signs of a shift. But, as with everything else, it’s going to take the will of the people to create the change we need. Clean water is another part of the system. It’s come to the point where, as I continue forward, I’m more aware of dying. Humans weren’t meant to live forever, but creating life affirming, working toward that goal makes what ever time I have more precious.