A Consumer Reports analysis found certain fruits and vegetables have a higher risk of pesticide residue.
Fruits and vegetables provide good nutrition, but are you also getting an unhealthy serving of harmful pesticides?
Consumer Reports dug into seven years of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which, every year, tests a selection of domestic and imported produce for pesticide residue.They found little to worry about in nearly two-thirds of the 59 conventionally grown fruits and veggies reviewed.“Produce that proved most problematic conventionally grown versions of blueberries, bell peppers, potatoes, green beans, kale and mustard greens, and watermelons,” Consumer Reports’ Catherine Roberts said.
The Alliance for Food and Farming, a farming industry organization, pointed out that more than 99% of foods tested by the Department of Agriculture contained pesticide residues below the Environmental Protection Agency’s legal limits.The Food Quality Protection Act requires the EPA to apply extra protection when science doesn’t conclusively show that a pesticide is safe for infants and children. However, this safety margin has rarely been used.
“There just hasn’t been enough research done on some of these chemicals and the negative health effects they can pose. So our experts took a precautionary approach and applied the FQPA safety factor to certain categories of pesticides, even if the EPA doesn’t — to ensure we don’t underestimate risks,” Roberts said.“You don’t need to totally eliminate higher-risk foods from your diet.,” Roberts said.
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