When the food pyramid was abolished and replaced with MyPlate, the public was left with a recommendation that half of everyone’s diet should be filled with fruits and vegetables. The move was pushed by the worldwide obesity epidemic and the drive to encourage Americans to live a healthy life. However, e-coli outbreaks as well as pesticide residues found in fruits and veggies are pestering the advocacy.
According to the US Department of Agriculture or USDA, traces of pesticides were found on most popular fruits and vegetables. The residue still lingers even if the produce is washed 10 seconds, and even after peeled. It only means that pesticides are present inside the known healthy foods. On the other hand, USDA revealed that overall pesticide residues found on foods tested are at levels below the tolerances set by EPA, with 99.7% of the federal government samples were within safety levels. Among the tested produce, 98% of conventional apples tested positive, putting them on top of USDA’s Dirty Dozen. Following apples is the celery, found positive on 57 different pesticides. Third on the list are strawberries, which tested positive on 13 different pesticides.
If the top 3 of the Dirty Dozen have sent you shivers already, you would most likely be more concerned to find more of your favorite fruits and vegetables to actually act as vectors of possible health problems and cause of unnecessary visits to professionals in uniforms scrubs and lab coats. Completing the Dirty Dozen are peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, domestic blueberries, lettuce, and kale or collard greens. But even if these produce are dubbed to have the highest pesticide residues, the public are still encouraged to eat fruits and vegetables, saying that doing so far outweighs risks of pesticide exposure.
Amidst the fear of pesticide contamination on conventionally-grown produce, people can find ways on how to reduce exposure. One way is to buy organic. Consumers can also go to farmer’s markets to avoid produce that have been modified or grown to resist normal rotting time, such as those that need long transport time. And of course, the public can grow their fruits, vegetables, and spices. For those who don’t have much option, they can go for those products listed to have the least amount of contamination found. Included in that group are the onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are also less likely soaked in dangerous chemicals.
“Not so fast,” said financialpost.com, saying Environmental Working Group, the group that made the announcement, is notorious in spreading junk science. Financial Post also claims the EWG, along with the media, spread junk science for personal benefits. It says EWG is scaremongering to get lucrative donations. In the opinion section of Financial Post, it almost seemed desperate at overturning claims by activists and scientists. For a financial institution, such an action is understandable. But personally, they all look funny.
The public is no longer ignorant about all the negative effects of overly commercializing produce, and their underlying harms. But they choose to ignore it. Who is ignorant about the health problems posed by cigarette smoking? Even 5-year-olds know that. But has smoking been eliminated? Quite the contrary. And even if people would want to avoid chemicals in their foods, they don’t have much choice. If they are going to grow their own corn, for instance, how sure are they that they’re corn is not genetically modified? They don’t even have crop options. And can they get any good harvest without using pesticide nowadays? Hardly.
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