Making The Case For Pesticide-Free Produce

"Many shoppers don’t realize that pesticide residues are common on conventionally grown produce – even after it is carefully washed or peeled. EWG's analysis of tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70 percent of samples of conventionally grown produce were contaminated with pesticide residues."
"The USDA tests found a total of 230 different pesticides and pesticide breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples analyzed. EWG's analysis of the tests shows that there are stark differences among various types of produce. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ lists the Dirty Dozen™ fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residues, and the Clean Fifteen™, for which few, if any, residues were detected."
Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst, Environmental Working Group (EWG)

"Food safety is a top priority for the Industry, from field to fork."
"The fresh produce industry seeks to ensure a safe, efficient and timely supply chain, allowing consumers to experience fresh fruits and vegetables at the peak of their performance."
Tom Stenzel, CEO, United Fresh Produce Association 

"A recent review article in the scientific journal Nature Plants makes the claim that organic produces 'foods that contain less (or no) pesticide residues, compared with conventional farming.'  That's not what the latest USDA-PDP (Pesticide Data Program) information about pesticide residues says. What that transparent source of tax payer-supported research indicates is that 40 different synthetic pesticide residues were detected on organic food samples at levels similar to what was seen for the comparable conventional food samples. In both cases the amounts are too small to be a health/safety concern, but this certainly does not fit the standard organic narrative."
"Finding synthetic pesticide residues on organic is not unprecedented.  Earlier, larger surveys of organic conducted by the USDA and by Canadian Food Inspection Agency found un-approved residues in at least 40% of samples.  The normal explanation of this is that it represents inadvertent spray drift or cross-contamination in harvesting bins etc.  Many of the detections are at such low levels they fit those scenarios, but interestingly when I looked at the conventional detections for the same 78 chemical/crop combinations, the organic detections were only significantly lower in 26 cases, and the organic detections were equal to or higher than those in conventional for 30 cases."
Dr. Steve Savage, Plant Pathologist, writer, public speaker, Forbes

The Environmental Working Group issues a yearly report card on pesticide residues found in fruits and vegetables, giving a heads-up to list those agricultural whole foods found to have the "highest loads of pesticide residues", and those which are discovered to have the least. The EWG also recommends that consumers hedge their bets by seeking out organic produce rather than conventionally grown, with the assurance that organics, though containing trace amounts of pesticides, carry far less and thus are safer to consume.

This year's report in the 2018 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, strawberries were top-of-the-list for high pesticide residues, the third year they've made that distinctive lead. Avocados, on the other hand, are top of the "Clean Fifteen" list of those whole foods ranking produce testing positive for "few, if any, residues." Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests examining 47 common fruits and vegetables for pesticide residue, the guide feels it presents a very accurate assessment of pesticide residues to enable them to advise people with a high degree of confidence which fruits and vegetables are best to avoid.

 Approximately 70 percent of conventionally grown, non-organic produce samples were found to be contaminated with pesticide residues, warns the EWG. In response, the U.S. Apple Association and other produce groups put out their own press releases, discounting the accuracy of the EWG's conclusions; the guide, they claim, is "inaccurate" and "harmful". 

The Dirty Dozen
  1. Strawberries 
  2. Spinach
  3. Nectarines
  4. Apples
  5. Grapes
  6. Peaches
  7. Cherries
  8. Pears
  9. Tomatoes
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet bell peppers

The Clean 15
  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Cabbages
  5. Onions
  6. Frozen sweet peas
  7 Papayas
  8. Asparagus
  9. Mangoes
10. Eggplants
11. Honeydews
12. Kiwis
13. Cantaloupes
14. Cauliflower
15. Broccoli

	Fertility studies' classification of pesticide residues
High pesticide residue score	Apples, apple sauces, blueberries, grapes, green beans, leafy greens, pears, peaches, potatoes, plums, spinach, strawberries, raisins, sweet peppers, tomatoes, winter squashes
Low to moderate pesticide residue score	Apple juice, avocados, bananas, beans, broccoli, cabbages, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, eggplants, grapefruits, lentils, lettuce, onions, oranges, orange juices, peas, prunes, summer squashes, sweet potatoes, tofu, tomato sauces, zucchini

"So, the bottom line is that there is no meaningful distinction between organic and conventional foods that the USDA tested in 2016. Both are quite safe and consumers should not hesitate to buy and consume these foods that are well documented to promote health. The real take-away is that consumers should be very wary of organic-funded organizations like the Environmental Working Group that are trying to manipulate them with fear. EWG ends its dubious list with a link to 'Donate Now' because 'EWG helps protect your family from pesticides!' Does convincing you to spend more for organic which has the same, low, safe levels of pesticide qualify as 'protection?' Such organizations deserve no respect or support."
Dr. Steve Savage, Plant Pathologist, writer, public speaker, Forbes

Healthy, Nutritious, Delicious, Pesticide-Laden

"Each of these foods [dozen foods that included strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers] tested positive for a number of different pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce." "Pears and potatoes were new additions to the Dirty Dozen, displacing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from last year’s list."
"Apples tend to have the most pesticides because of the chemicals applied to the crop before and after harvest to preserve them longer."
Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen list

Photo: Pixabay

Apples are likelier than any other fruit, because of their portability, ease of eating, taste and reputation as a healthy fruit, to be included in most peoples' packed lunches, including those that mothers prepare for their school-age children. That old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" didn't appear out of nowhere; it recognized the health benefits of eating an apple daily. The benefits, from cleaning teeth, to providing roughage and minerals and vitamins galore, are numerous.

Sadly, the apple appears as number four on the Environmental Working Group's list of the twelve most pesticide-ridden foods. Their residue load is taken to be harmful to human health. We do, of course, know that we are supposed to wash fruits and vegetables before using them. And that certainly includes fruits with skins that are discarded, like  oranges, grapefruits, and melons, for example, as well as bananas, just as much to remove harmful moulds that might be present, as pesticides.

Placing grapes in a bowl of clear, cool water to which lemon juice has been added, works well to clean pesticides and dirt off grapes, followed by a thorough rinsing. In Japan fastidious consumers go so far as to peel grapes before eating them. Potatoes can be left unpeeled, but well scrubbed with a stiff brush, then rinsed. Researchers at University of Massachusetts produced a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry recently, suggesting that soaking apples in a baking soda solution is the best method of removing pesticide residues.

Apples have already gone through a commercial bleach solution wash before they appear on supermarket s helves. According to the study's lead author Lili He, that initial washing is meant to remove dirt and contaminants, not necessarily pesticide residues. And her study points out that the longer produce sits unwashed, the deeper the chemicals can be absorbed. So much for the common wisdom that produce lasts longer if washed only before eating.

Testing the efficacy of three variants on washing of organic Gala apples was undertaken by the UMass Amherst researchers after they had been sprayed with two often-used pesticides. The apples were left for 24 hours after spraying, then they were washed with plain water, or the bleach solution commercially used, alternately a baking soda-water solution. In two minutes' time the baking soda solution succeeded in removing the most pesticides, while plain water turned out to be more effective than the bleach solution.

However, for the baking soda solution to succeed in entirely removing pesticide residue, a 12 to 15-minute bath in baking soda solution  was required. "One thing that surprised us was how long it took to wash the pesticides away", added Dr. He. Her successful formula was to dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda for every two cups of water, to soak the fruit for a minimum of two minutes, then rinse with tap water prior to consuming.

The short cut of peeling apples before eating, thus bypassing the pesticide residue issue completely, sacrifices the nutritional benefits of the skin's fibre and nutritious qualities.

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