Fruits/Vegetables & Pesticides

Written By: Gina


I wanted to discuss pesticides as they affect our Summer fruits and vegetables and thought it would be great to give a list of the best choices to avoid these toxins.

Pesticides are toxins used to help prevent pests (i.e., insects, vermin, and even other plants) from destroying crops. They are designed to destroy living organisms. These hazardous materials are then passed on to whomever eats the affected grains, fruits, or vegetables.

Serious illnesses have been linked to the use of pesticides, ranging from respiratory problems (especially of those who work in pesticide-treated fields) to certain types of cancers and disruption of the endocrine system.

• Endocrine disruption can produce infertility and a variety of birth defects and developmental defects in offspring, including hormonal imbalance and incomplete sexual development, impaired brain development, behavioral disorders, and many others.
• Over two dozen pesticides known to disrupt the endocrine system, including many common pesticides like atrazine and 2-4-D, are currently in wide use. --In 1994, 1,332 pesticide related illnesses were reported to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
• More than 75% of these reported illnesses occurred in the workplace. A study of reported pesticide illnesses from 1983- 1990 found over 19,000 poisonings, including over 9,000 in non-agricultural settings.
• According to the US EPA, more than 70 active ingredients known to cause cancer in animal tests are allowed for use. (Quoted from: Pesticide Watch pesticidewatch.org) According to the US EPA, more than 70 active ingredients known to cause cancer in animal tests are allowed for use. (Quoted from: Pesticide Watch pesticidewatch.org)

Organic produce often looks less pretty, more blemished, than does regularly grown fruits and vegetables. Consumers have been conditioned over time to expect fruit and vegetables that are perfect in appearance; in fact, much of our fruit is so bland-tasting because it has been grown to look perfect, not taste good. Remember the old saying that it’s what’s inside that counts? That applies here, too!

Good News About Organics:

No synthetic pesticides. Organic produce doesn’t add to the already-vast quantity of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers used on conventional produce. Some people are concerned about their intake of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables (even after washing). In 2006, Consumer Reports noted that some produce was more likely to retain such residues, while it was less probable that other varieties did so. Among those fruits and veggies more likely to retain these residues (which included apples, celery, cherries, spinach, strawberries, nectarines, potatoes and red raspberries), organic produce offers an opportunity for people to keep some toxins out of their bodies when eating such foods. People with chemical sensitivities can sometimes find relief from symptoms by eating organics. And those with compromised immune systems, or immune systems not yet fully developed (that means kids), may be more affected by synthetic pesticide residues than the general population. Again, organic foods, especially organic produce, may be an answer here, although the Environmental Protection Agency insists that conventionally-grown produce is safe for children to consume.


No GMOs. Organic fruits and vegetables are not permitted to be irradiated or modified genetically. Longtime readers of this column understand that I have some very serious concerns about GMOs, genetically-modified organisms. It isn’t that I automatically condemn GMOs as bad, it’s that many of them have created at least as many problems as they were supposed to solve, or simply haven’t worked at all. Sufficient research on the effect of GM crops has not been carried out, and, once the genetic modification is released into the environment, recalling it is impossible. The idea that GMO seeds are “intellectual property” and cannot be saved at the end of harvest to plant next spring is absolute, well, fertilizer, and it’s placing more and more poor farmers deeper and deeper in debt, even while corporations (such as Monsanto and Syngenta) and their investors reap ever-greater profits from that situation. And unintentional crossbreeding and genetic drift have both been demonstrated to be all too real. Again, organic agriculture is one of very few ways around these GMOs.


Soil Health. Organic farming is also a heck of a lot better for soil health than conventional farming. Goodness, how I do keep harping on soil condition! Maybe more people should; that’s how important soil is. According to the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water, soil condition “can be defined as the capacity of a soil to function, within land use and ecosystem boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental health, and promote plant, animal, and human health.” Is that crucial enough for you? So much of agriculture depends on soil health. Some would argue that agrichemicals can be used to restore soil health if any imbalances are found, but we already know that overuse of those chemicals is a major culprit in environmental problems these days. Monoculture, a common practice in conventional farming, is the repeated growing of just one crop in one area. It’s a sure-fire way to strip soil of nutrients vital for plant growth, and it supports populations of those pests specific to the crop, as well as weeds that like those particular soil conditions. Organic farming uses techniques such as crop rotation and diversity, composting and cover cropping (cover crops, usually annual grasses and/or legumes, can control erosion and weeds, aerate and loosen the soil, act as a living mulch and even restore soil nutrients) to enrich and preserve valuable topsoil. This form of cultivation is invariably gentler to the land.


Availability. There’s a lot of talk about organic farming supporting small family farms. Some of that’s true—but some of it isn’t. There are some “supersized” organic farms these days, especially in California. They have gone far past the “small family farm” stage, although most probably started out that way. And we’ve all read about large corporations buying up what were once independent organic producers. But there’s an odd twist to all that. When big corporations get involved in something, it generally becomes more available to more people, and it costs less. That’s happened with organics, too. Unquestionably, they’ve become more widely available, and that’s driven the price down to a degree. I’m not sure organic fruits and vegetables will ever qualify as inexpensive, but any price reduction for the consumer will result in more people buying the organic product. And there are small family farms out there growing organic fruits and vegetables; you might just have to do a bit of searching for them. (thenibble.com)

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health. They currently tested 43 different fruits and vegetables, and found that these 12 carried the least amount of pesticides when grown conventionally:

Broccoli Eggplant Cabbage Banana Kiwi Asparagus Sweet peas (frozen) Mango

Pineapple Sweet corn (frozen) Avocado Onion

Of the 43 different fruits and vegetables tested, the following 12 carried the highest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally, and are therefore the most important to buy organic:

Peaches Apples Sweet bell peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries

Lettuce Grapes (imported) Pears Spinach Potatoes (naturalnews.com)


The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies
click here to print the printer-friendly full list.
(EnvironmentalWorkingGroup.org)

So enjoy those fruits and vegetables this Summer! Knowing this list has changed my choices when shopping now.

Gina