“Dirty Dozen” List Authors Say Conventionally Grown Produce Are “Best Foods” 

food safety plateThe Environmental Working Group’s latest “Dirty Dozen” report concerning pesticide residues and produce has been released. However, the group releasing the annual report recently called conventionally grown produce a “best” food for consumers and strongly urged increased consumption of these fruits and vegetables.

Advertisement

“This group continually issues confusing and conflicting information targeted toward consumers,” says Marilyn Dolan, executive director of the Alliance for Food and Farming. “One day they are calling safe and healthy produce ‘dirty’ and ‘toxic laden’ and the next they are stating they are ‘best’ foods. This simply isn’t helpful and studies are beginning to show this type of conflicting information may be having a negative effect on consumers.”

Recently, a new peer reviewed study conducted by the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future found that conflicting messaging on food safety and nutrition may be having a detrimental impact on the dietary choices of consumers, especially those with lower incomes.  Researchers involved in the study recommended that “those who want to improve food production techniques and those who want to improve nutrition cooperate to create consistent messaging about healthy eating” for the benefit of consumers.

The so-called “dirty dozen” list has also been largely discredited by the scientific community, Dolan says. “Before using or promoting this list or covering today’s list release, we ask concerned consumers and the media to review some of the peer reviewed studies and government reports that can provide a scientific perspective about pesticide residues,” she says. These include:

  1. USDA Pesticide Data Program report released in December.  USDA/EPA/FDA conclusion: “residues do not pose a food safety concern.”
  2. Journal of Toxicology  Peer reviewed paper which examined the methodology used to develop this ‘dirty dozen’ list.  Among the paper’s conclusions: No established scientific procedures were followed in the development of the list and the recommended substitutions of organic for conventional forms of produce did not reduce risk.
  3. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health Peer reviewed study showed that people who ate seven or more servings of produce per day reduced their risk of premature death by 42%. Consuming that many servings reduced the risk of death from cancer by 25% and heart disease by 31%.
  4. Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology Peer reviewed paper which found that if Americans increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables by a single serving, more than 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented annually. This study was conducted assuming all servings were of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

For those who may not want to read the entire USDA report, Dolan recommends reviewing the consumer Q&As that summarize the objective of the government sampling program as well as the results.

Top Articles
Equipment Updates Propel Davidian's Farm Market Into The Future

“Since the ‘dirty dozen’ list authors state they base their findings on this government report, it is important that people see what it really says.  It’s actually very positive news for consumers,” Dolan says.

Consumers who want more information on the safety of organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables can also visit the safefruitsandveggies.com website. This website was developed by experts in food safety, toxicology, nutrition, risk analysis, and farming. The site features a popular calculator++ which consumers can use to see how many fruits or vegetables they could eat in a day and still not see any effects from residues that may be present. The site was also recently expanded to include a new section which outlines the stringent laws and regulations governing the use of organic and conventional pesticides.

For consumers who may still be concerned about pesticide residues, they should simply wash their fruits and vegetables.  According to USDA, you can reduce and often eliminate residues, if they are present at all, on fresh fruits and vegetables simply by washing.

The AFF launched the safefruitsandveggies.com website in 2010 to provide science-based information about the safety of organic and conventional produce.

“Consumers deserve truthful, credible information about the safety of their foods so they can make the right shopping choices for their families,” Dolan says. “We believe that facts, not fear, should guide those choices.”

The AFF’s key message for consumers? “Our message mirrors that of health experts everywhere. Eat more organic and conventional fruits and veggies every day for better health and a longer life.”

 Source: Alliance for Food and Farming

0

Leave a Reply

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

You people are as big a HIPOCRITES as the dept. of Agriculture, FDA, USDA & EPA. How can you keep going around selling this garbage that conventional grown foods are better & safer to eat, when you’re using GMO & GE products on potatoes, apples & the list goes on. IF GMO & GE FOODS ARE SO SAFE, WHY IS IT THE BIG CHEMICAL COMPANIES WHO MANUFACTURE THES PRODUCTS DO NOT WANT THEM LISTED ON A LABEL?

Avatar for Susan R. Susan R. says:

True, organics are better and safer. If, however, GMO and GE were so terribly bad for the public’s health, do you not think there would be class action lawsuits. If they can connect talc with ovarian cancer, surely they must be able to connect GMOs and GEs, if there is a problem with them. The lawyers won’t miss an opportunity.

Avatar for Joseph Heckman Joseph Heckman says:

Pesticides add not nutritional value. Every study comparing organic versus conventional food finds significantly less pesticide residue in organic. The public is increasing voting with their dollars by buying organic.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Mr. Heckman: I’ve been involved in Organic Farming & Gardening since 1982. We bought our farm in 1992 & had it Certified that same yr. until the end of the ’08 season. We may have dropped our Certification BUT not our method of farming. My fight is with the Dept. of Ag. authorizing the use of 2-4D through the USDA,FDA ,EPA. Now Mr. Heckman unless you’re one of those that is backing the Dept. of Ag & it’s 4 stooge’s (which includes our president) & the big Chemical companies, we’re on the same side. You can’t spray 2-4D without KILLING the Biological Soil Life that makes things grow, wildlife, animals & humans. 2-4D was band yrs. ago, WHY IS IT COMING BACK? WHY ARE THE BIG CHEMICAL COs. FIGHTING SO HARD TO KEEP THIS 2-4D INFO OFF OF FOOD LABELS? Where as an Organic Farmer has to mention everything but the color of my socks. Why do I have to give up a large portion of land as a chemical spray buffer zone when I neighbor a conventional grower, does not? Why do I have to go through a 3rd party inspection, when I’ve all ready been inspected by my Organic Certifier? WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE ANOTHER HIGH COST EXPENSE.
Thank You Mr. Heckman
Vince

Avatar for Theresa Lam Theresa Lam says:

Thank YOU Mr. Colandrea Sr. for fighting the good fight and providing fresh clean food to our communities for so many years! We greatly appreciate the work you do.

Avatar for Theresa Lam Theresa Lam says:

Thank YOU Mr. Colandrea Sr. for fighting the good fight and providing fresh clean food to our communities for so many years!

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

THANK YOU Ms. Lam what a nice way to start my day. There aren’t to many times that I find myself with nothing to say except YOUR WELCOME. I love conversation, swapping opinions & I love talking to people about what’s happening to our food chain. The trouble is folks don’t want to listen, BUT on the whole, if you look over all the transcripts you’ll find a few gentlemen that got a little up. Actually that’s good, it shows good, bad or indifference, they’re listening. I’m not an educator, I give a lot of classes, field tours, both on our farm, or someone else’s. I have a PH-D from the University Road of Hard Knocks. If you ever want to learn something, that’s the place to go. Remember this that the Road of Hard Rocks is, or can be, a very expensive place to go.
I do have a few questions for my Conventional Farm Friends not to Embarrass anyone, but to Learn from them: STATEMENT: I understand that 2-4D is mainly sprayed onto pastures to kill Broad Leaf Grasses, for better cattle grazing.
Questions: 1) You remove the cattle, hook-up to your sprayer, mix in your 2-4D & go spray?
2) Does your spray go all the way to the ground, or does it stop & dries on the leaves of the broad leaf grass?
3) If it reaches the ground, is there a possibility that the spray will soak into the soil?
4) If the spray soaks into the soil through rains, snow, etc. do you believe it will harm, Biological Soil Life, Microorganisms, Earthworms & possibly make it’s way down into our Water Supply?
5) Now you have removed your cattle from this pasture, how long do you leave them off; a month; 2 mths. or until the grass is up & growing to a 8″ height, 10″ maybe 12″?
6) Knowing you do pasture rotation as you would your crops; when do you take them off the pasture again; 4″ growth; 2″ growth?
7) During the time right after you sprayed, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE WILD LIFE;; you know, rabbits, ground hogs, deer, birds, snakes, bats, etc., Mother Natures Little Creators that eat Bad Bugs?
8) Gentlemen as an Organic Farmer or Natural Non-GMO’s Farmer we look out for our Mother Natures Friends. WE DO NOTHING FOR INSECT CONTROL ON OUR FARM, WE LET MOTHER NATURE TAKE CARE OF MOTHER NATURE. So what if a Hornworm eats a few tomatoes, some snake, frog, toad, someone will come along & get him, see what I mean? Remember this; I can drink what comes out of my spray tank, Can You?
What do you think Ms. Lam, did I cover it all? Thank you Vince

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Ms. Susan R.: I was born on a fruit farm in the Hudson Valley of NY back in the early 30’s in those days when I was growing up the only spraying we did was with Lime & Sulfur to fight Fungus disease due to a lot of rain. When I went into the service in ’52 & returned home in ’58 dad wasn’t spraying just for a fungus any more, he was spraying for Maggot Fly & a slew of other diseases. Mother Nature had been taken out of the fields & was replaced with Harsh Deadly Chemicals. If I’m not mistaken, 2-4D agent orange was used in the Vietnam War & killed a lot of people, and it was band from use. GMO & GE Products are loaded with 2-4D. The Dept. of Ag. just notified the USDA, FDA, & EPA that these chemicals could now be used on apples & potatoes. They are already using these Deadly Chemicals on Corn, Wheat, Soybeans & God only knows what else. For us it’s getting tougher & tougher to find plants and/or seeds that are not contaminated with these Deadly Chemicals. Being our farm is no longer Certified Organic after 16 yrs. of certification, even though we are not certified any longer we never changed our farming methods,. We can ONLY use the following terms, “Naturally Grown” or “Chemical Free”. Regardless of what we are called, Organic, Naturally Grown, or Chemical or Free everything that was used to raise these crops must be listed on the label. WHY IS IT THAT THE CHEMICAL COs. DO NOT HAVE TO TELL YOU AS A CONSUMER, WHAT GMO & GE PRODUCTS WERE USED IN THE GROWING OF OUR FOOD TODAY?” It’s like the ole saying, “Money talks & the people walk.” Studies, studies & more studies, that’s what they tell us about what’s going on, so that eventually & they’re hoping that we will forget & Big Chemical Business will keep getting bigger. The food is better & it’ll save the in environment. HAHAHAHA. what a joke. They’re killing Biological Soil Life, Wild life, Domestic Animals, Birds, Frogs, etc., etc. etc. never mined the Humans & the effect this could have on Men, Woman, Children & New Born’s.
Ms. Susan R. I’m NO lawyer, & I believe big bushiness could out wait & out spend the lawyers with the help of our politicians & you & I.

Thank you Miss.
Vince

Avatar for Tom Oberhaus Tom Oberhaus says:

Dear Mr. Colandrea, As a farmer I feel I must correct some blatant errors in your message. 2-4D was not in Agent Orange and has not been banned, in fact many yards across America are using derivatives of it to control dandelions and etc in their yards. The number one GMO crop grown in the US is soybeans and to date no 2-4D can be used on soybeans as it would kill them. 2-4D can and has been used on non-gmo corn for the last 50 years. Thus your statement the GMO grown foods are “loaded with 2-4D” is a blatant lie. Please get your facts right.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Mr. Oberhaus I really want to THANK YOU for your comment & I’m glad to welcome your opinion, BUT the fact is that 2-4D is widely used on farm crops & sorry to say peoples lawn care for yrs.
Thank You
Vince

Avatar for John Washington John Washington says:

The top factors for poor health are poor diet choices such as too much sugar too frequently, no exercise, in other words a diabetic- prone lifestyle. Also, drug abuse and alcoholism are major factors. Pesticides are an easy target, and a convenient one for the uneducated. However, the truth is that the epidemic bad health problems in our country can be simplified to poor diet (wrong foods), no exercise. Produce in the U.S. is of excellent quality, safe, and abundant. Stop picking on U.S. agriculture and correct your own ignorant, nasty habits !

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Well Mr. Washington I guess I hit a nerve. Yesterday I was called a liar & I didn’t have my facts right, today I’m picking on American Agriculture & my own ignorant, nasty habits. I’m sitting here thinking about what you two gentleman are saying, & from that I have to think that you don’t read the newspapers, farm magazines, Fox News nor the ticker tapes on the news. I always felt that good discussions are healthy & I welcome your opinion as long as nether of us get angry or try to force either ones opinion upon the other.
Mr. Washington you fell that it is the type of foods, how we eat them, lack of exercise & that American foods are healthy. I’ll agree to some what you say: we don’t right, we eat the wrong foods, & we do not exercise are all good points. But when the Dept. of Ag. & the FDA,USDA & EPA start to authorize the use of Harsh Chemicals into the food chain: e.g.: 2-4D, then Mr. Washington I must disagree with you. You see as an Organic or Naturally Grown Farmers we do not have to worry about such Harsh Chemicals.
Sometimes Mr. Washington what has to happen between you Conventional Farmers & Organic Farmers is to step into the other mans shoes & take a look at what each of us is doing. MY farm Sir is surrounded by Conventional Farmers & like you they disagree with my farming methods. I don’t mind, WHAT I DO MIND, IS I have to give way a lot of land that I can’t use on 3 sides of me FOR A BUFFER ZONE FROM YOUR CHEMICAL SPRAYS. Tell me Mr. Washington HOW MUCH BUFFER ZONE DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE WAY TO THE ORGANIC FARMER?.
Thank you – Vince

Avatar for a20havoc a20havoc says:

I think the sanctimonious big-mouths in the multimillion-dollar organic farming industry should take their exorbitant margins, be grateful people are gullible enough to pay for them, and shut up. If people want to eat garbage, and not exercise, let them. In this nanny-state called the “U.S.” the government is committed to forcing all of us to pay for people who make bad choices anyway, and there’s no incentive to change that–anywhere. So it doesn’t matter what people eat, or don’t eat, or if they don’t go to Planet Fitness. Quit whining, and accept that there are people who think differently than you do. It’s OK. They’re allowed to.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Ya know something Mr. a20havoc, your right. BUT I wasn’t brought up to keep my mouth shut, I fight for right & injustice & always have & I think people should have the choice, as you so bluntly put, eat garbage or what’s good for them. Thank You Mr. a290havoc – Vince

Avatar for Ben B. Ben B. says:

Mr. Colandrea is partially correct on this 2-4d issue as it is one of the ingredients in “Agent Orange”. 2,4,5-T is the other, equal amounts of each is the formula. But as someone else said, some of the produce that Mr. Colandrea listed as being sprayed by 2-4d is not correct as it would surely kill them. 2-4d will kill ANY broad-leaf as it is a selective herbicice for the most part and will not kill narrow-leaf grasses for the most part. One reason cattle ranchers use it to spray pasture.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Mr. Ben I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE CORRECTION. There is so much of this stuff being used & I guess some of it is for the good. But, that still leaves us with it’s use on or in foods we eat. I guess my biggest fight Mr. Ben is the fact that GM & GMO PRODUCTS ARE NOT LISTED ON FOOD PRODUCTS giving the consumer the right to choose. But from what I can tell that is changing, more & more Cities, Counties, States & Countries are demanding the GMO & GM label. Germany told it’s poultry industry to buy NON-GMO FEED. From what I can tell so-far Vermont is the ONLY state that requires GM & GMO label on food products. As an Organic Certified Farmer our inspections are brutal, my record keeping PLUS prof of purchase, labels, receipts, what was applied, when & how, soil & water tests every year, compost testing & heat records, ingredients, if I purchased horse manure off the farm I had to have the animals medical records to show what medications were given & that included our own animals, let us not forget seed, spray materials and/or fertilizers had to come from a Certified Mfg.: e.g.: Johnny’s Select Seeds. I didn’t mind keep our food safe for people to eat, what I do mind is that BIG BUSINESS CAN DO WHAT EVER THEY WANT & OUR ELECTED OFFICALS LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT. I understand the frustration of the Conventional Farmer when a guy like me comes along tells everyone that the food they’re eating was grown with harsh chemicals. Regardless how frustrating they may get it still should be the peoples choice. On an Organic label I had to have everything (No matter how tiny the print) but the color of my socks. GM & GMO Mfg. DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT & I SAY THAT’S WRONG.
Again Mr. Ben I want to THANK YOU for your pleasant comment. Vince

Avatar for Ben B. Ben B. says:

No problem Mr. Colandrea. I am a conventional farmer and I have farmer friends that are certified organic, we get along just fine and respect and appreciate each other.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

I am so glad to hear that. I’m lucky in one way that the conventional farmer on my west side gives way with a little buffer zone & if’ it’s real windy coming my way, he tries his best not to hurt me. I have heard of organic farmers that are just about ready to shut it down because of chemicals being wind blown over edges of their property, & asking the conventional farmer to be careful falls on deaf ears. Mr. Ben may I ask what you grow? As an Naturally & Chemical Free Farmer I run the general crops; pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, some apples, tomatoes, cumbers, sweet corn, some pumpkins, melons, some snap peas, sunflowers & a variety of other Beneficial drawing insect flowers, buckwheat, oats, hay & we use a 3-5 yr. crop rotation program & being very careful of growing crops that don’t go together. It all sounds like a lot but, I’m 80 yrs. & my wife is 79 yrs. so things sometimes become very limited.
Anyway, THANK YOU Mr. Ben for the come-back, I always enjoy a pleasant conversation – Vince

Avatar for Ben B. Ben B. says:

Mr Colandrea, me and my dad grow citrus and citrus trees (many varieties), tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, yellow and green squash, okra, garlic, watermelons, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli. Sell some of that wholesale and all of it at 2 roadside stands. Yeah we’re a lil busy, lol.

Avatar for Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, Vincent P. Colandrea Sr, says:

Me Ben, THANK YOU for the come back. Ya Mr. Ben when I was a kid growing up on our 150 acre fruit & later tomatoes, you brought back some ole memories of working with my dad, he was real task master, we worked the farm with horse in those days. I figure there where more good days than bad ones, take care of your dad son & enjoy the time. Thank you – Vince

Advertisement