{"id":20222,"date":"2017-03-15T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T04:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=20222"},"modified":"2017-03-15T01:12:16","modified_gmt":"2017-03-15T05:12:16","slug":"report-affirms-organic-food-healthiest-choice-consumers-farmworkers-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/03\/report-affirms-organic-food-healthiest-choice-consumers-farmworkers-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Report Affirms Organic Food is the Healthiest Choice to Protect Consumers, Farmworkers, and the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, <\/em>March 15, 2016) An annual report using U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program residue data finds again this year that the crop\u00a0grown in chemical-intensive agriculture with the most pesticide residues detected\u00a0is strawberries. Spinach is number two, jumping from eighth place last year.<\/p>\n

The “Dirty Dozen” report, released annually by Environmental Working Group (EWG) since 2004, ranks produce grown with pesticides and confirms that organically grown food is the safer choice. While the report focuses on food residues, beyond raising consumer health concerns, it also raises social and environmental concerns associated with the purchase of conventionally \u00a0grown food, including farmer poisoning, water contamination and adverse effects to ecosystems and biodiversity, including pollinators.<\/p>\n

EWG’s\u00a0EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce\u2122<\/a>\u00a0finds that nearly 70 percent of samples of 48 types of conventional produce is contaminated with residues of one or more pesticides. USDA researchers find a total of 178 different pesticides and pesticide breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples analyzed. The pesticide residues remain on fruits and vegetables even after they are washed and, in some cases, peeled.<\/p>\n

“Even low levels of pesticide exposure can be harmful to infants, babies and young children, so when possible, parents and caregivers should take steps to lower children’s exposures to pesticides while still feeding them diets rich in healthy fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u201cDirty Dozen\u201d\u00a0list is helpful in alerting consumers to hazardous residues on food, but food residues are only part of the story.\u00a0Along with a host of adverse health effects<\/a> associated with their use, pesticides used in chemical-intensive agriculture can get into waterways and groundwater, contaminate nearby communities, poison farmworkers, and kill wildlife. However, some of these pesticides may not be found at detectable levels on food. Beyond Pesticides\u2019\u00a0Eating with a Conscience<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0guide goes beyond pesticide contamination of food and considers all the externalities, both upstream and downstream, associated with the production of chemical-intensive fruits and vegetables. Choosing organic food is therefore more than choosing to reduce one\u2019s pesticide exposure but it is also a choice to protect farmworkers, farming communities, water supplies, pollinators, and other wildlife.<\/p>\n

For the \u201cDirty Dozen\u201d list, EWG singled out produce with the highest loads of pesticide residues. In addition to strawberries and spinach,\u00a0this year’s list\u00a0includes nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and potatoes. Each of these foods test positive for a number of different pesticide residues and contain higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce. Pears and potatoes are new additions to the \u201cDirty Dozen,\u201d displacing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from last year’s list.<\/p>\n

Key findings:<\/p>\n