What’s On My Food?

Last week, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) launched their new searchable online database, What’s On My Food?.

The website uses data gathered from the EPA’s Pesticide Reregistration Status, the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, and PAN’s own Pesticide Info Database and compiles the information into easy-to-understand graphs and charts, placing each chemical in one of four categories (Carcinogen, Hormone Disruptor, Neurotoxin, or Developmental/Reproductive Toxin).  You can search by food item or chemical.

So lets look at strawberries, for example.  Captan (a known carcinogen) is found 70.1% of the time and Myclobutanil (a developmental or reproductive toxicant and suspected hormone disruptor) is found 34.7% of the time in conventional strawberries.  These chemicals were not found (0.0% of the time) in domestic organic strawberries.

Some domestic organic produce does still contain pesticide residue.  Domestic organic apples, for instance, are found to contain an average of 0.004 micrograms of Thiabendazole (a probable carcinogen) 20% of the time, versus an average of 42.5 micrograms 89.7% of the time for conventional apples.

The USDA tries to prepare the food the same way you would so most foods are washed and/or peeled before testing.  Many pesticides are systemic, however, meaning they are actually absorbed by the plant.

I know I don’t buy all organic, all the time, but this is a good resource to use when deciding which conventional fruit is most toxic and should be avoided.  While I still think any fresh fruit or vegetable is better than none at all, it’s rather disturbing to be so vividly reminded that I’m not eating just a strawberry or an apple – I’m eating, and my body is absorbing but not eliminating, all the toxins too.