Pesticides - An Interesting Article

I was just reading an article entitled, "There Are No Calories in Pesticides" in the Sustainable Times publication (November 2010). This article contained information gathered by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) which is a non-profit organizaton based in Washington D.C. that uses public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG created "The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" (first published in 1995) which is meant to help people avoid those conventional fruits and vegetables found to be the highest in pesticides. Of course, eating organic, is a way to avoid these chemical "inputs" but by using this guide and avoiding the most contaminated produce, we can lower our pesticide consumption by 80%. The guide is not "built on a complex assessment of pesticide risks but instead reflects the overall pesticide loads of common fruits and vegetables". It's very likely that we are all consuming pesticides by the way.

I wont go in to the methodology used by the EWG but I'm sure you can research further if you like. What I found interesting was their "Dirty Dozen" list and their "Clean Fifteen" list. Ranked in order of worst first, the dirty dozen include celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard greens, potatoes and grapes (imported). The clean fifteen (best first) include onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato and honeydew melon. An interesting fact that amazed me in this article is that the U.S. exports 150 million tons of banned (in the U.S.) pesticides that may then be used on the produce that is later imported back in to the country. That sure seems backwards. The EWG went further to recommend ways of avoiding pesticide consumption on our produce. They recommended buying organic, buy locally grown (ask about growing methods), grow your own, consider using vegetable/fruit washes and peel fruits with higher pesticide levels (may only be partially effective). Organic produce sales have soared from 3% of the retail produce market in 2000 to nearly 11 percent in 2009 ($9.5 billion). Despite these trends, the eating habits of Americans are still of concern with an increase in calorie count but a decrease in nutritional value. The relentless promotion of fast food has not helped. At RBG in 2011, we will continue to promote growing your own produce and incorporating "ornamental edibles", compact vegetables in containers and old-fashioned heirloom varieties (to help preserve genetic diversity).