Everyone is familiar with the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and their porridge that was initially “just right” despite being both too cold and too hot. In a new study about fresh produce and pesticides, Consumer Reports aims to come out “just right.”
It can be confusing because it involves a study that uses the same facts, but they are subject to different interpretations and presentations. Similarly, opinions abound about fresh produce because they are now available year-round due to the expansion of imports.
Everyone bases their arguments on the same information, which is the results of the USDA’s annual tests that involve sending fruits and vegetables to the lab to see if any of about 450 pesticides can be found. The fact that fruits and vegetables improve health is another factor.
Because of the role pesticides play, there have probably been enough scare tactics over the years to make some people swear off eating fruits and vegetables, but in doing so, they may have hurt themselves more. To help its readers reap the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables while avoiding harmful chemicals, Consumer Reports has released a report today titled “Stop Eating Pesticides.”
Consumer Reports, which has been in operation since 1936, accepts no advertising and pays for all the goods it evaluates as well as all of its other research, including the pesticide study covered in this issue. Eating less produce is a grave error, according to CR.
According to CR, more than 80% of Americans already don’t consume the recommended minimum of 2 and a half cups of fruits and vegetables per day for most adults. Instead, you can reduce the risk by selecting produce grown with fewer, safer pesticides. ”.
A “Guide to the Produce Aisle” that uses color bars to indicate when non-organics are unlikely to be harmful or when organic might be the safer choice is included in the CR report. CR also explores the six “most concerning pesticides on produce. ”.
In particular, CR advised against using “headline-making pesticides” Glyphosate and Dicamba on fruits and vegetables.
Based on USDA pesticide data from 2014 to 2018, or a total of about 24,000 samples, the ratings given by CR in the report. The ratings take into account the serving sizes of fruits and vegetables that a person might eat throughout their lifetime.
CR also says the federal policies concerning pesticides need work. Brian Ronholm, CR’s director of food policy, stated that numerous federal laws need to be changed in order to protect consumers from the dangers of pesticides. According to him, a system that can quickly detect prohibited pesticides on imported produce is crucial for preventing the export of the product.
According to Ronholm to the magazine, “The USDA must also take steps to maintain the integrity of the organic program and assist farmers in making the switch to organic, which will increase the availability of the organic option.” According to CR, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) safety factor or safety margin should be used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to replace the use of the riskiest pesticides.
CR believes organic options are generally wise, but it did discover organic U 76 percent of the samples of spinach grown with 33 different pesticides were indistinguishable from the non-organic product.
CR also discovered that fewer than half of the non-organic fruits and vegetables were at low risk. Fresh potatoes, green beans, and peaches received the lowest rating for non-organic products. When CR advises visiting the organic aisle, this is where the non-organics fall short.
Organics do have a reputation for being expensive, but CR finds that this reputation varies by season and region and is frequently untrue.
For many years, the analytical method used most frequently to determine the presence of pesticides in food was gas chromatography (GC) outfitted with an electron-capture detector (ECD), nitrogen-phosphorous detector (NPD), or mass spectrometer (MS) (Anastassiades et al. 2003; Hernandez-Borges et al. 2009; Lehotay et al. 2005; Nguyen et al. 2008; Paya et al. 2007; Zawiyah et al. 2007). However, it is necessary to apply alternative analytical techniques to highly polar, thermally liable, and non-volatile compounds. One of the most effective methods for analyzing pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables is liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). This method outperforms GC-MS in terms of sensitivity and selectivity and effectively distinguishes between analyte and matrix signal. 2006) or LC-MS (Hernandez et al. 2006). Numerous trustworthy LC-MS/MS techniques have been created recently for the analysis of postharvest fungicide residues in citrus juices, including thiabendazole, carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, imazalil, and prochloraz (Dreassi et al. 2010), for guazatine in commercial citrus fruits (Scordino et al. 2008), for the pepper compounds thiosultap sodium, thiocyclam, and nereistoxin (Ferrer et al. 2010), for residues of multiple classes of pesticides in samples of fresh grapes (Venkateswarlu et al. 2007) and in olives (Ferrer et al. 2005).
Parsley and lettuce are grown and produced in large quantities in Hatay. In this region, 30. 68% of the parsley and 18. 02% of the lettuce of the whole country are produced. Turkey is thought to produce 52 tons of parsley, lettuce, and spinach in total. 34, 439. 64 and 225. 75 thousand metric tons, respectively (FAO 2008).
In order to identify the presence of a collection of 80 pesticides, 120 samples of spinach, parsley, and lettuce that were harvested and sold in the farmers market of Hatay province (Turkey) were examined. The samples of lettuce, parsley, and spinach that were tested all had traces of residue. Most pesticides were not allowed to be used in the corresponding vegetables, according to Turkey’s communiqué on the maximum residue limits of pesticides. The MRLs was exceeded in 28 parsley (70%), 18 lettuce (45%) and 40 spinach (100%) samples, according to EU regulation The repeated application of the pesticide in the field, especially closer to harvest, greatly influences the level of residue. The findings indicated that Hatay farmers are either unaware of the safe and prudent use of pesticides or have a propensity to overuse pesticides in order to ensure a high level of external quality of the produce. The results of this study suggested that, in line with EU Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, Turkey’s MRLs for pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin should be revised. They also suggested that a national monitoring program for residues in or on food and food products be put in place.
On a 3200 triple-quadrupole linear ion mass spectrometer with a TurboIonSpray (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA), MS/MS experiments were carried out. The multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode of the spectrometer was used in positive ion mode. Analyst software, version 1. 5 was used for instrument control and data acquisition. With pressure settings of 275, nitrogen was used for both nebulizing and drying purposes. 79 and 413. 69 kPa, respectively. The source temperature was set to 500 °C, and the capillary voltage was set at 5,000 V. The resolution was 0. 6–0. 8 (unit resolution) for both the first and third quadrupole. Mass spectra between 5 and 1,800 m/z were captured.
The individual standard solutions were made in MeCN with a 1000 g/ml concentration. By combining the proper quantity of the individual standard solutions and dilution with MeCN to a final concentration of 10 g ml1, the composite working standard solution was created. All solutions were preserved at 4 °C.
Avocados, sweetcorn, and pineapple ruled the Clean Fifteen
Nearly 70% of samples from the Clean Fifteen list were found to be completely pesticide-free, making them the fruits and vegetables with the lowest levels of pesticide residue in the group.
The top three “cleanest” fruits and vegetables on the list are avocados, sweet corn, and pineapple. The following items were asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, papaya, and frozen sweet peas.
The list of produce with the least amount of pesticide contamination also included mushrooms, cantaloupe, mangoes, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.
Because they hadn’t been tested in six or more years, the EWG removed broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant from the Clean Fifteen since last year’s list, not because of new contaminants.
Industry experts are divided on whether ingesting pesticide residues may affect human health. EWG cited research from Harvard University that found people who ate pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables did not see a protective effect on health, even though the foods typically protect against cardiovascular disease and overall mortality, suggesting the pesticides cancel out the benefits.
However, other analyses have found no significant impact of pesticide residues on human health, according to the Alliance for Food and Farming. A representative of the group reached out to Insider with an analysis from the University of Californias Personal Chemical Exposure Program, which found a child could eat hundreds to thousands of servings of a fruit or vegetable in a day and still not have any health effects from residues.
Stay informed by subscribing to Insider notifications and learn the things you want to know. Subscribe to push notifications.
Strawberries and greens topped the Dirty Dozen again
Since the USDA and FDA don’t conduct produce testing every year, not much has changed since the Shoppers Guide was published the previous year.
Strawberries were discovered to be the fruit or vegetable with the highest level of pesticide contamination for the seventh consecutive year. Kale, collard greens, and mustard greens all together came in third, just behind spinach.
Nectarines, apples, grapes, bell and hot peppers, cherries, peaches, pears, celery, and tomatoes make up the remaining Dirty Dozen. The rankings haven’t changed much from last year aside from Peppers moving up a few spots on the list.
According to analyst Sydney Swanson in a press release, the EWG advises consumers to purchase organic versions of the Dirty Dozen produce whenever possible. Organic produce is less likely to be contaminated with known toxins because organic farming practices prohibit the use of the majority of synthetic pesticides.
However, not everyone can afford organic food or lives close to a market that values the environment. EWG experts advise thinking about the Clean Fifteen if you can’t afford to invest in cleaner versions of the Dirty Dozen.