Facts about pesticides you might not really want to know
I’m a big fan of buying organics when I can, but I don’t usually make a big deal out of it. When it comes to most produce, I might choose organic if it’s an option, but if it’s not, or the conventional stuff is on sale or just looks better, I’ll go ahead and buy what I came to the store for rather than buying what looks good and is organic and planning my meals around that.
Or at least that was the way I was until I heard about What’s on my Food, a searchable database that explores the common pesticide residues found on agricultural products from almonds to corn syrup, milk to oats, poultry to squash.
What’s on your plate?
A brief perusal of the website, produced by the Pesticide Action Group and developed with data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture, will let you know, for example, that conventional tomatoes have been found to have 34 different pesticide residues on them, including:
- one known, one probable and one possible carcinogen
- 15 suspected hormone disruptors
- seven neurotoxins
- three developmental or reproductive toxins
Of course all of these substances are not found on a single tomato, but still, knowing that you could potentially be exposing yourself to tasty sounding stuff like Endosulfan II (found on 18.6 percent of tomatoes studied and a suspected endocrine disruptor) sure makes those organic fruits growing in my backyard look a lot lovelier.
Conventionally grown barley, on the other hand, almost looks healthy with just seven pesticides found, two that are known or probable carcinogens, five suspected hormone disruptors, three neurotoxins and just one developmental or reproductive toxin. The most commonly found residue, Resmethrin, was found on just 4.5 percent of samples.
What to do with this information
I don’t know a lot of people who would visit this site before every trip to the grocery store to decide whether it’s worth it to pick organic or conventional products. Most people go for conventional without thinking; those who regularly choose organics already know some of what they’re missing by doing so.
But if you’re on the fence about whether it’s worth it to pick organic produce, meat or grains, looking at the data on some of your most commonly eaten foods might prove an eye-opening experience that changes the way you shop for some of your favorites.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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Related posts from the CalorieLab Calorie Counter News archives:
- How to save on organics, should you want to
- Organic food may not be as great as some say
- EU committee OKs plan to cut pesticide use, critics predict food price jumps
- Organic foods won’t save the world
- Food activists talk about a revolution, but people need to eat better and that doesn’t mean swapping HFCS for sugar
