A follow up...

The last thing I want to be is someone who is perceived to be fear mongering. Building awareness, creating a platform for dialog, and encouraging a good hard look at our consumer behavior is my goal! On that note I wanted to do a quick follow up to my last post.

I love fruits and vegetables...and it's important that we all fill our diet with a variety of them. I'm not suggesting we forgo this critical part of a healthy diet over the potential exposure to pesticide residue.  Even minor nutrient deficiencies can lead to serious health conditions...just look to history...scurvy is a perfect example! There are just so many unknowns.

For now, public health experts continue urge people to eat the recommended two to six and a half cups of fruits and vegetables a day. And since many people can't afford organics, just make sure to wash your produce well, said Kim Harley, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Berkeley.  "We really stress that we don't want people to stop eating fruits and vegetables," Harley said. "We're just saying there are unanswered questions and some concerns about pesticide exposure. There is starting to be evidence that pesticides may impact children’s development, and we need proper risk assessment to answer this question."  (From http://news.discovery.com/human/pesticides-fruit-vegetables-health-110831.html )


There are two sides to every story, as they say, and the flip side of this one is that commercial farming and pesticide use has increased "our" ability to produce more food for a growing world.  Yes, we have governing bodies like the EPA and FDA who set standards for food that goes into our marketplace.  The flip side of that?  Big business and big money lobby constantly for laws, regulations, and standards that benefit them.  Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the FDA, Michael Taylor, is also a former Monsanto executive, lawyer, and super lobbyist (hhhhmmmmmm).  Here's an interesting read on this topic. 

Personally, I'm just not willing to assume that because I can buy it in the store it's the best choice. Science is a dynamic and developing arena. We discover new things every day...good and bad. When it comes to pesticides, preservatives, processed food, genetically modified food, and the like I believe a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing. Asking questions about established ways of doing things helps to promote better ways. Given the choice I believe local sourcing of organically grown food is better for my family and my community.

As always...share your thoughts!