Insecticides in produce are bad for our health. Consumer Reports tells us how to reduce our risk.

I regularly eat fresh vegetables and fruits.   Many foods are now available in organic form, which can help us avoid harmful insecticides.   True, many organically grown foods can be more expensive but not always as Consumer Reports suggests in a recent article.

Does organic mean better?  Not necessarily according to Consumer reports.   Also, some organic foods may be better in frozen or canned form.

Long term, many of the corporate farming techniques may be resulting in illnesses that are avoidable.  Is it more expensive to farm organically than to treat these illnesses later on?

You can also buy non-organic produce and remove most if not all of those pesticides by properly cleaning them.  Consumer Reports also tells us how to do this properly.

Check out their recent article in the August issue below

These chemicals are the ones CR’s experts say contribute most to the risk from certain fruits and vegetables

By Catherine Roberts August 27, 2020

Six pesticides play an oversized role in undermining the safety of the fruits and vegetables Americans regularly consume. These pesticides contribute the most risk in the lowest-rated fruits and vegetables in CR’s study.

In some cases, a pesticide appeared in almost all of the samples of a particular fruit or vegetable. In other cases, a pesticide was detected in only a small percentage, but at worrisome levels.

And that’s a problem, because it’s impossible for a consumer to know if the specific fruit or vegetable they choose in a store is one that’s contaminated or not.

If growers replaced these pesticides with more sustainable pest-management methods, many fruits and vegetables would be much safer. That’s why CR urges growers to stop using these chemicals and the Environmental Protection Agency to ban them.

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