Growers take on "Dirty Dozen" list
Washington Ag Today July 19, 2010 The Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen’ list of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables the organization tells consumers to avoid because of pesticide residues has no basis in science. That’s the conclusion of a study done by an expert panel of toxicologists, risk assessors and nutritionists. That study was commissioned by the Alliance for Food and Farming whose funding comes from family farmers, associations and groups representing farmers. No funding for the report came from chemical companies. The panel of experts concluded that the “Dirty Dozen” list is misleading to consumers, is an impediment to public health because it discourages consumption of fresh produce and lacks scientific evidence that the pesticide levels found poise any risk. Matt McInerney, chair person of the Alliance for Food and Farming and executive vice president of Western Growers, is pleased to see the Environmental Working Group has made a clarification on its website. McInerney: “Specifically they now state in a question and answer to one of the following questions; do all of these pesticides mean I shouldn‘t eat fruits and vegetables? Answer, no. Eat your fruits and vegetables. The benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables far outweighs the risk of pesticide exposure. Use EWG‘s Shopping Guide to reduce you exposure as much as possible but eating conventionally grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.” The Environmental Working Groups response to the study is that chemical agriculture is telling you to shut up and eat your pesticides. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.
