|
|
| Back to the Table of Contents |
Why Buying Local
Trumps Avoiding the Dirty Dozen
|
What I Choose to Buy at the
Co-op ... and Why
A series of monthly articles by members of our Nutrition and Education
committee |
by Karla Guererri
|
You've heard of the "Dirty
Dozen," right?
No, not the movie--it's the list of the 12 most pesticide-laden
vegetables and fruits on the market.
According to an article on Today (msnbc.com), the list of 12 most-sprayed
crops includes apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears,
raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes and spinach.
In these tough economic times, when many household budgets are
stretched to make ends meet, health-conscious shoppers are resorting to
the use of this inventory.
Conventional wisdom would tell us that the organically grown versions
of the Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables are worth the extra price,
while the lower- priced non-organic versions at the very bottom of the
pesticide list are just fine, too.
According to Foodnews, the publication of Environmental Working Group
(EWG), a Washington, DC advocacy group, the research responsible for
this list was performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004. They ran tens of
thousands of tests on conventionally raised fruits and vegetables to
determine the nature and amount of residual pesticides on each item
when they reach the consumer. Fifteen pesticides were found in large
amounts on the 12 most contaminated produce items. EWG then analyzed
this data by computer, and concluded that a consumer who avoids the 12
most contaminated produce items will reduce exposure to pesticides by
90 per cent over someone who eats those items. At the other end of the
spectrum, EWG found, were conventionally grown fruits and vegetables
which are almost always free of pesticide residue. For instance,
onions, avocados and sweet corn were consistently found to be nearly
totally free of pesticides, as were asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi,
bananas, cabbage, broccoli and a few others. The EWG's recommendation?
It is worthwhile for consumers to buy the organically grown versions of
the Dirty Dozen at an estimated cost of up to 50% more, while there is
no good reason to spend extra money on the "clean" items. EWG produced
a wallet card listing typical products and their residual pesticide
score, according to their rank. They even posted the list on line.
So I felt like a smart shopper--pretty good, smug even--when I strolled
down the produce aisle at the Honest Weight Food Co-op, organically
grown peppers and apples in my basket, and asked produce associate
Karen Starr in a confident voice, "Where are the conventionally grown
avocados?" What I got as a result was not conventionally grown avocados
(the Co-op
does not carry them), but the next piece of the story. Karen's informed
opinion is that local-and-in-season trumps
organic-and-transported-long-distances every time. But since avocados
are not a
local crop, organic is best in this case. Often additional pesticides
are used on produce that will be transported. When I asked her about
the Dirty Dozen, she enlightened me again. Some pesticides are so
deadly that, in miniscule amounts, they are actually more harmful than
less-lethal chemicals in larger amounts. Since the Dirty Dozen list
doesn't report on the toxicity of the pesticide, maybe we need some
additional guidelines?
Having worked in farm fields, Karen's concern is for the environment
and the farm workers, as well as the final consumer. "I don't want
anyone to have to work and live with pesticides and herbicides," she
says. She likes to visit the local farms that supply what she eats and
sells. That way she can talk to the farmer and understand exactly how
much, if any, pesticides they use.
Karen recommends that we all read Starved and Stuffed by Raj Patel, and
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, to become informed about the
implications of where our food comes from. Both books champion an
equitable, ecological and localized food system. Karen was reluctant to
boil it down to a simple flow chart--but when pressed, she outlined the
following: First choice: local organic; Second choice: local integrated
pest management; Third choice: organic from farther away; Fourth
choice: integrated pest management from farther away: Last choice:
conventional from far away.
Finding out more about pesticide levels in foods that are trucked in
from far away is an ongoing endeavor at Honest Weight. By purchasing
locally produced foods at the Co-op, you have the opportunity to know
more about how New York State farmers grow their crops. You are also
supporting a local economy and limiting the pesticides your family
ingests. Want to know more about local foods at the Co-op?
To help our customers find locally produced foods, Honest Weight Food
Co-op publishes a brochure listing the products we sell that are grown
within 100 miles of the point of sale. It is available to download at www.honestweight.coop/docs/localfoods.pdf.
Some producers are as close by as Burger Farm in Niskayuna and the Gade
Farm in Guilderland. There is always more to learn, and sometimes it's
as close as your own backyard.
|
| Back to the Table of Contents |
|
|
|
