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Pesticides and Produce: Does ‘Organic’ Make a Difference?
by Rebecca Thompson, M.S.
“Pay how much for a pound of organic bananas? Are you crazy?” The sentiment was one I had echoed myself only 8 years before when I took my first trip into a health food store, which happened to be a Whole Foods Market, and saw the prices. “I’m not paying that much for some special bananas!” I heard the woman say from the next aisle. “What difference does it make anyway?”
I thought it was a great question. This was one I had struggled with trying to make ends meet on a teacher’s salary as a stay-at-home mom. What was the difference between conventional and organic? Is it enough of a difference to justify the extra expense? I wanted to do what was best for my family, but wasn’t sure what that was at the time.
A Brief History of Organic
Up until the middle part of the last century, all food was organic. Chemical agriculture was just really catching on then, which changed the way farming was managed in this country. Up until that time, careful management of the soil and smaller crops were the norm, along with crop rotation or growing certain plants together to support the growth of the others. It was also common for each family to have their own garden. When chemical fertilizers made their way onto the scene, farmers could grow much more food with less effort. They could kill the pests that would have devastated their crops in the past. It seemed like a great plan.
But with the addition of the fertilizers, pesticides, and less attention to the quality of the soil, the net result was food that was no longer as nutrient dense, and had the added disadvantage of toxic chemicals. Micronutrients that used to abound in the soil were no longer present, which resulted in food that didn’t taste as good. Ask anyone who is older than about 50 if produce tastes different than they remember it tasting when they were young. Most likely, the answer will be yes. Nutrients taste good. That apple with no taste has very little nutrition.
During the 1980’s, the word organic began popping up in health food stores, but there was no standard for what could be called organic and what couldn’t. During the 1990’s, the first standards for organic foods were set. In 2007, more legislation was passed to more clearly define what was acceptable for organically grown foods and what wasn’t. In the meantime, organic foods have become big business and many companies that were formally conventional have now started organic lines, like Dole. The advantage was that organic foods were now readily available at most grocery stores. As organic became more commercially available, prices started to go down, but the intention behind the movement shifted into making money, rather than doing what was ultimately best for people and the environment. Consumer confidence in the organic label dropped as incidents formally known to only affect conventional crops started happening with the organic crops.
As a side note, some farmers are now producing what is called biodynamic produce. These crops are considered even better than organic and special attention is paid to the soil for optimal health of the plants and high nutrient content. Like organic, it also must be free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic is better than conventional, but biodynamic is even better than organic.
Why is organic better than conventional?
Chemicals used to protect food from pests are harmful to young children. Young children’s bodies have difficulty removing the chemicals ingested through food and children tend to eat more produce per pound of body weight than adults. However, the “safety” criteria often sited is based upon adults, not children. By eating several of the most contaminated produce in a day, your children are exposed to an average of 15 pesticides per day. You can reduce that by around 90% by simply eating more of the least contaminated foods. Organic food, by definition, must be free of synthetic chemicals. More attention must be paid to the soil in order for organic foods to grow, so they also tend to be more nutrient dense.
My favorite story about organics is taken from a zoo. They were feeding the monkeys a mix of organic and conventional bananas. The zookeepers discovered that the monkeys always peeled the conventional bananas, but ate the organic bananas whole, peel and all, which is normal for them. Even the animals know the difference!
Why are pesticides so bad? Don’t they just wash off?
Pesticide ingestion has been found to contribute to the following health problems, according to numerous animal and human studies:
- Cancer
- Fertility problems
- Brain tumors
- Childhood leukemia
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Hormone or endocrine system problems
- Nervous system damage
Keep in mind that pesticides are not just on the outside of fruits and vegetables, as is commonly thought, but are taken up inside the produce through the soil. Even when you wash the outside or peel the skin off, though this will lower the pesticide exposure, it will not remove all pesticides. However, by removing the skin, you are also losing valuable nutrients found in the peels and outside layer of the fruit or vegetable.
But I can’t afford to buy everything organic. What should I do?
There is a list based upon which foods are found to have the most and the least pesticide residues that may help you to make that decision. Peaches are on the top of the list for what to buy organically, as they have the most pesticide residues of any conventional produce. See sidebar for the recommended lists of what to buy organically, as well as those less problematic to buy conventionally.
Most Pesticides (buy organic or avoid):
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Pears
- Grapes (Imported)
- Spinach
Least pesticides (conventional probably okay):
- Onion
- Avocado
- Sweet corn (Frozen)
- Pineapples
- Mango
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (Frozen)
- Kiwi
- Bananas
- Cabbage
Another option is to purchase locally grown food. Farmer’s Markets work for many people and you can actually talk to the people who have grown the food. You can ask them personally if they used pesticides and the prices are usually much lower than organic. Many times, the growers are too small to make it worth their time, money, and effort to become certified organic, but they still meet the criteria. By simply asking questions, you might start a wonderful relationship and find a great cost-effective solution for your family. It is win-win.
In addition, locally grown food doesn’t have to be grown to withstand early harvest and transport to other parts of the world. Locally grown food is harvested much closer to the time it is sold and has a much greater nutrient content. If you’ve ever had a tomato picked right off the vine when it is ripe, there is no comparison to the one you buy at a regular grocery store. The flavor of one of my dad’s tomatoes from his backyard garden puts the best organic tomatoes shipped from who-knows-where to shame.
In some areas, local community supported agriculture (CSA) can provide another option. Many can be found at http://www.localharvest.org. These are often set up so that every two weeks during the growing season, you receive a bag of produce. Many even deliver!
Some families like to grow a few things in a home garden or even just a small container garden with some easy to grow baby lettuce or some fresh herbs. If you have the ability to make things grow (the so-called “green thumb”) and a little bit of time to devote to the care of a garden, it may be something to consider when the weather is appropriate for such things in your area. Container gardens can be grown inside year round, just like a Chia Pet. Additionally, some people find gardening and digging into the soil to be regulating. And there is the added benefit of educating children where food really comes from by showing them firsthand.
Only you can decide what is going to work best for your family, but with information you can make an informed decision about what you are bringing into your home.
Healthy eating!
Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFT
Resources:
Originally published in the BCI Parent Enrichment Journal
Rebecca Thompson
Rebecca Thompson, M.S., is the founder of The Consciously Parenting Project. Rebecca has been actively educating parents and facilitating parent groups and workshops that encourage conscious decision-making in family life since 1998. As a wife and the mother of two boys, she has personal as well as professional experience navigating the terrain of parenting. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, with specialized training in attachment and trauma.
Click here to read her blog.
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