One issue that’s come to my attention since I started thinking more about my food is the debate about organic foods — are they healthier, and is the cost worth the potential benefits?

I’d love to buy organic food all the time, but it’s just not financially possible for me right now. That said, I believe in the health risks of pesticides on foods and would like to start moving in the direction of eating foods grown without them. But if I’m going to get a bang for my buck, which foods should I buy organic in order to protect myself from ingesting the most pesticides? Are some fruits and vegetables more susceptible to absorbing pesticides than others?

One list I found that can help answer this question is the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which ranks 47 popular fruits and vegetables based on how many pesticides they contain, often after being washed and peeled. The list was put together by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit group working on public health and the environment.

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Would you like to know the direct benefit of buying organic versus conventional?  Do you ever wonder what the cumulative impact of purchasing organic versus conventional products is over the course of a year?  There’s a website out there that allows you to calculate the number of pounds of synthetic nitrogen, pesticides, and herbicides that are eliminated by choosing organic products.

The website is for Organic Valley Family Farmers.  Organic Valley is a co-operative of farmers that produce dairy products, juice, eggs, meat, soy, fruit, and vegetables.  It claims to be the largest organic farmer owned co-operative in North America, and you can review on their website their array of various products.

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I’ll come back to the Mycotoxin issue soon.  Instead, I’ll talk today about my serious worries about Climate Change.  

People involved in world agriculture have no patience with the supposed “debate” about climate change.  We are already seeing the effects, and the projections for the future are not encouraging.  The most troubling feature of this phenomenon (and one that occurs even if you don’t believe that it is human-driven) is that we are facing increasing variation in climatic events.  The yearly changes in average temperature or even annual rainfall may not be dramatic, but what we are anticipating is that there will be more extreme weather events.  Climate averages are not what matters for crop production - Variation is.  A few days of intense rain or heat at the wrong time can devastate a crop.  A few weeks of drought can do the same.  A single hail or frost event can make all the difference in what a farmer can harvest.  We have always had those risks for farming and only long term data will demonstrate whether there has been an increasing trend as is predicted.  For instance, It isn’t possible yet to say that the current, extended drought in Australia is caused by elevated greenhouse gasses, but some day we will know whether it was by looking back historically.  Of course that will be too late.  Our actions have to come now.  The other huge threat from climate change is that water supplies will be more limiting in many areas that are irrigated today.  Though that area is much smaller than rain-fed areas, it is very important to the food supply.

Some have predicted that “Global warming” and elevated CO2 will boost crop production in certain areas.  There might be some occasions where higher temperatures will enhance some yields in normally cold areas, but if the warmth comes with other extreme weather events, the benefits will be diminished.  It also turns out that plants can’t really take full advantage of high CO2 levels.  Basically,  there is no real “up-side” of climate change for farming.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/27/food-supply-worries-of-an-agricultural-scientist-part-3-climate-change/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/25/bs-and-organic-marketing-figuratively-and-literally/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/25/bs-and-organic-marketing-figuratively-and-literally/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:23:07 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/25/bs-and-organic-marketing-figuratively-and-literally/

The large-scale Organic dairy cooperative, “Organic Valley” has just sunk to a new low in the practice of “I will market against my farmer neighbors by stoking consumer’s fears.” They announced that they have launched an on-line calculator that is supposed to show you how much pesticide and fertilizer use is avoided when you buy their products.  The news release essentially boils down to the message, “buy our products or you will probably die!”  It also essentially accuses the 97.5% of us who don’t buy Organic of destroying the planet.

When talking about pesticides the press report says: “For adults, exposure through diet has been linked to infertility, Parkinson’s, testicular cancer, birth defects and much more. More than one million children in America age five and under ingest at least 15 pesticides daily. Early exposures are suspected in the sharp rise in health problems including autism, obesity, asthma, brain cancer and other childhood cancers.”  This broad-brush assertion is misleading on so many levels that it is hard to know where to start.  I’m not saying that there have never been any health issues with any pesticide anywhere, but we also have sufficient food in part because of pesticides.  Though many people don’t know it, there are pesticides used on organic crops as well.  Actually, the EPA has done a very good job of regulating pesticide use over the years so that people don’t need to be frightened about their food.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/25/bs-and-organic-marketing-figuratively-and-literally/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/22/is-taking-care-of-your-grass-making-you-sick/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/22/is-taking-care-of-your-grass-making-you-sick/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:04:47 +0000 Jeff McIntire-Strasburg http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/22/is-taking-care-of-your-grass-making-you-sick/ Click here to view the full post.

When dermatologist June Irwin first stood up in 1985 to speak at a Hudson, Quebec, town council meeting about the potential link between synthetic lawn pesticide and herbicide use and human and animal illnesses, she was written off as a flake. Irwin persisted, though, attending “every single town meeting in Hudson for six consecutive years - each time reading aloud a different letter with new observations and facts.” Eventually, she got her message across, and Hudson (population 5000) became the first town in North America to ban the use of these chemicals.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/22/is-taking-care-of-your-grass-making-you-sick/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/17/what-does-an-agricultural-scientist-worry-about-in-the-food-supply-part-1/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/17/what-does-an-agricultural-scientist-worry-about-in-the-food-supply-part-1/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:04:59 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/17/what-does-an-agricultural-scientist-worry-about-in-the-food-supply-part-1/

Lots of people in America are worried about their food - usually not about having enough food, but mostly about things that might be in their food that could potentially hurt them or their children.  People also worry about the environmental impacts of food production.  At one level I’m glad that people are engaged in this way and I do believe that there are legitimate concerns.   I happen to think that some of the fear about food is misplaced.

I believe that much of this fear stems from a limited understanding of toxicology, molecular genetics, and also what farming is actually about today.  Very few Americans have any real contact with farming.  Frankly, some of this fear is also driven by the activities of businesses and organizations with a vested economic interest in alarming people.

I’ve been working as an agricultural scientist for 32 years.  I’ve had the opportunity to learn about lots of crops grown all over the world.  I’ve been involved with all sorts of different technologies.  I’ve seen huge changes in agriculture over time. So from all of this experience, do I worry about anything to do with food?  Yes, absolutely I do worry! But my list of worries is a little different from the norm

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/17/what-does-an-agricultural-scientist-worry-about-in-the-food-supply-part-1/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-2/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-2/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:33:54 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-2/

This is a follow-up to a previous blog about a pesticide reduction commitment that McDonalds has made and why that will be challenging in terms of their potato supplies and quality.

Roundup Ready® soybeans were commercialized in 1996 and quickly came to dominate plantings in the US, Argentina and Brazil. NewLeaf® insect resistant potatoes were also introduced that year. These potatoes were genetically engineered to produce the same Bt protein insecticide that was used as a spray-on product on potatoes and which was also approved for Organic use. The second generation of GMO potatoes was on its way around 1999, which also protected against the key potato leaf roll virus, which required spraying to control the aphids that spread the virus.  Potato growers I interviewed at that time were excited about these technologies. Without having to spray for these two primary pests, biological control was largely taking care of the rest of their insect pest issues. They were also glad because they didn’t have to spend the money on most of their normal insecticide sprays.

This seemingly happy scenario came to an abrupt halt in 2000. Anti-GMO activism was starting to build and the leadership of McDonald’s got an arrogantly insufficient response from the leadership of Monsanto when they asked what was going to be done about the situation. McDonald’s defaulted to the “brand protection” mode and with three phone calls to the major frozen French fry suppliers, killed GMO potatoes in the US and Canada (Frito Lay and other brands joined in the defacto ban). That was only possible because increasing GMO potatoes was so much slower than increasing seeded crops and so only 5% of the crop was biotech. McDonald’s and all other fast food restaurants could never afford to ban the GMO ingredients that were in their frying oil or high fructose corn sweeteners because biotech adoption was so rapid for soy and corn. So McDonald’s still sells many products from GMO crops, just not potatoes because that would be much higher profile. There is absolutely no health risk issue here, but there is at least some irony.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-2/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-1/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-1/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:25:32 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-1/

Companies with prominent, valuable, consumer “brands” are prime targets for activists because these entities cannot afford to ignore threats that might hurt their public image. Remember Nike and the foreign “sweat shop” issue. Consumer brands don’t get much bigger or more valuable than that of McDonald’s. To its credit, based on outside pressure or not, McDonald’s has provided leadership on nutritional, packaging and animal wellness issues over the years.

Recently, McDonald’s has come under lawsuit pressure from a number of groups over the issue of pesticide use on potatoes – one of the signature offerings of this chain. They had to agree to work to reduce those applications. It would be best to focus on reductions of the pesticides with the greater associated risks, but unfortunately the litigants probably don’t understand that there are huge differences between pesticides.

There are actually a lot of pesticides used on potatoes compared to other crops grown at that scale. One of the main reasons is that it is incredibly difficult to breed new potato cultivars. I’ve blogged about the difficulties of improving a non-hybrid crop like wheat, but that is nothing in comparison to potatoes. First of all, it is not a seeded crop. It is actually a “cloned” crop grown from “seed pieces” and it grows from the “eyes” that occasionally sprout in your pantry. It is possible to breed via the flowers and seed, but it is very slow. Potato cultivars that are 20 to more than 100 years old dominate the industry. Breeding in pest resistance isn’t really an option.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/09/10/macdonald%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpesticide-conundrum%e2%80%9d-and-the-solution-it-will-probably-not-pursue-part-1/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/28/the-pesticides-i-wish-i-could-buy/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/28/the-pesticides-i-wish-i-could-buy/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:29:10 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/28/the-pesticides-i-wish-i-could-buy/

Alright.  I know that the title of this post is controversial for this website, but I’m serious about this. Read a little further and this might not seem so radical.

Over the last 40 years I have gardened in Denver, Davis California, Western Colorado, Delaware and in San Diego county.  By far the most challenging place to garden has been in San Diego.  We have no winter here to knock back the pest populations.  We have lots of misty, cloudy days in May and June because we are only 2 miles from the ocean. It is pretty much of a pest and disease heaven.  I am constantly fighting pest issues in my garden and vineyard here, and I often wish I had better tools to do that.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/28/the-pesticides-i-wish-i-could-buy/feed/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/08/20/the-bee-problem-is-hfcs-to-blame/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/08/20/the-bee-problem-is-hfcs-to-blame/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:46:07 +0000 Cate Nelson http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/08/20/the-bee-problem-is-hfcs-to-blame/ There is new evidence that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may be a culprit in what is known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), or the disappearance of honeybees.

Colony Collapse Disorder has killed off more than one-third of the bees in the United States.

Beekeepers know that when there isn’t nectar readily available to their hives, as in the winter months, some turn to supplements. Traditionally it was (guess what) honey. But that’s what you want to harvest, so many turn to cheaper substitutions. Cane or beet sugar, mixed with water, was seen as acceptable as long as you removed the part of the comb containing the sugar once bees started producing again. It was important to keep the bees fed so they’d keep brooding and ready to produce honey.

Except it hasn’t only been the occasional sugar-water substitution. We’ve substituted the substitute. People have also turned to high fructose corn syrup.

And once again, it seems our need for convenience and affordability has cost us: a new study shows that a contaminant from heat-exposed HFCS may be killing off the bees.

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/08/20/the-bee-problem-is-hfcs-to-blame/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/oils-from-herbs-and-spices-to-replace-synthetic-pesticides/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/oils-from-herbs-and-spices-to-replace-synthetic-pesticides/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:03:44 +0000 Bryan Nelson http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/oils-from-herbs-and-spices-to-replace-synthetic-pesticides/

Herbs and spices like thyme, rosemary and mint, usually used to flavor food, can also offer a green alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Research has shown that oils derived from the herbs interfere with insect nervous systems, causing them to spasm haphazardly until they die. Best of all, these all-natural pesticides are inexpensive to produce.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/oils-from-herbs-and-spices-to-replace-synthetic-pesticides/feed/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/13/pesticides-used-in-californias-central-valley-killing-frog-populations-in-nearby-sierras/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/13/pesticides-used-in-californias-central-valley-killing-frog-populations-in-nearby-sierras/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:40:34 +0000 Rhishja Larson http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/13/pesticides-used-in-californias-central-valley-killing-frog-populations-in-nearby-sierras/

Scientists have determined the chemicals that make the Central Valley a rich agricultural region are responsible for frog deaths and tadpole abnormalities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Just when it seems things can’t get much worse for our cold-blooded friends, researchers have added pesticides to the growing list of causes (such as habitat loss and chytrid fungus) for the massive worldwide decline in amphibian populations.

An article in today’s Central Valley Business Times says that zoologist Don Sparling and his team are continuing to build up a body of evidence that shows neurotoxin pesticides are making their way out of the valley’s farms and into the snow and streams where the frogs live and breed - with catastrophic consequences.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/13/pesticides-used-in-californias-central-valley-killing-frog-populations-in-nearby-sierras/feed/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/03/hormone-like-contaminants-block-trouts-ability-to-sense-predators/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/03/hormone-like-contaminants-block-trouts-ability-to-sense-predators/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:42:37 +0000 Michael Ricciardi http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/03/hormone-like-contaminants-block-trouts-ability-to-sense-predators/

There has been significant success in decreasing the levels of chemical contaminants in our nation’s water ways in recent years, thanks to the Clean Air and Water Acts passed by Congress. However, low levels of many contaminants (such as metals, pesticides, and synthetic molecules like PCBs) persist in many rivers and streams, home to salmon and related trout species.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/03/hormone-like-contaminants-block-trouts-ability-to-sense-predators/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/30/pesticides-linked-with-childhood-leukemia/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/30/pesticides-linked-with-childhood-leukemia/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:17:37 +0000 Cate Nelson http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/30/pesticides-linked-with-childhood-leukemia/ Like we needed one more reason to keep nasty pesticides away from our homes and children. They’re linked to respiratory problems and asthma. And a recent study shows that children up to age 7 have a harder time ridding their bodies of the chemicals.

Now a new study shows that kids with childhood leukemia have elevated levels of household pesticides in their urine. The study was performed at the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

These aren’t industrial-level pollutants, either. These are everyday chemicals people pick up at the hardware store and use in their very own backyards.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/30/pesticides-linked-with-childhood-leukemia/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/24/5-products-to-green-in-your-everyday-life/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/24/5-products-to-green-in-your-everyday-life/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:33:29 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/24/5-products-to-green-in-your-everyday-life/
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg occasionally writes posts on new, innovative green products (see Five Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV and Five More Greenish Products You’ve Seen on TV). Rather than try to steal his thunder, this post looks at some basic, simple, green products that can make your everyday life many times greener.

Staying away from the topics of food and transportation, which are probably the biggest daily products you could green, here is a list of products you use everyday.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/07/24/5-products-to-green-in-your-everyday-life/feed/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/21/peregrine-falcon-removed-from-floridas-endangered-species-list/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/21/peregrine-falcon-removed-from-floridas-endangered-species-list/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:32:10 +0000 Bryan Nelson http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/21/peregrine-falcon-removed-from-floridas-endangered-species-list/

The recovery of peregrine falcons is one of the great success stories of conservation. Now their population in Florida has rebounded enough to remove them from the state’s endangered species list.

Upon approving their removal from the list, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called the combined efforts of wildlife managers and individuals to save the species “one of the best examples of wise conservation practices.”

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/21/peregrine-falcon-removed-from-floridas-endangered-species-list/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/15/dude-whats-on-my-food/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/15/dude-whats-on-my-food/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:24:59 +0000 Cate Nelson http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/15/dude-whats-on-my-food/ As a parent, you’re probably concerned about pesticides on the foods your family eats. I know I am.

Since the Environmental Working Group came out with their list of the “Dirty Dozen“, I’m more selective about our produce purchases. We even grew a few rows of kale in our raised bed gardens because we eat copious amounts of greens.

But just because a favorite veggie didn’t end up on EWG’s list doesn’t mean that it’s free and clear. Certainly not organic, in most cases!

An average American child gets 5+ servings of pesticides in their food and water per day.

Yikes! That’s why this frightening educational new database is so helpful.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/07/15/dude-whats-on-my-food/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/25/pesticides-in-babys-food/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/25/pesticides-in-babys-food/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:02:19 +0000 Allison Wolff http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/25/pesticides-in-babys-food/

A new site called What’s On My Food just launched this week. It is a godsend for moms everywhere who are concerned about pesticides in our and our babies’ food, not to mention water systems and the air. Did you know that the average American child gets five plus servings of pesticides in their food and water daily? Did you know that Atrazine, a potent endocrine disrupter banned in Europe, is found in 71% of US drinking water? What’s On My Food is full of horrific little tidbits like these and provides easy-to-grok visual breakdowns of pesticides in common foods.

Pesticides are a big problem for little bodies.

Babies and children have high metabolisms and they eat and drink significantly more, in relation to body weight, than adults, all of which further concentrate pesticide deposits in their tissues and still-developing internal organs. Pesticides and other pollutants can interfere with proper sexual differentiation; they can also cause other birth defects and multigenerational health problems such as allergies, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer in the individual, that individual’s offspring, and subsequent generations.

So what can you do?

1. Put your money where your mouth is (buy organic)

Yes, it can be more expensive. But think of all the purchasing decisions we make in a day or year. Think of all the silly things you’ve spent money on. In my opinion, buying organic is one of the most important ways we can vote with our wallets. Buying organic from your local farmer’s market is even better.

2. Grow your own veggies

Gardening has come a long way in the last decade. It has become much simpler, and even chic, to grow what you put on your table. Plus, gardening gives kids first-hand knowledge of where their food comes from. Check out Sustainable Urban Gardens for tips and ideas for how to do it yourself.

3. Use Environmental Working Group’s shopping guide (pdf or super cool iPod app)

Environmental Working Group has been around since 1993 and specializes in providing useful resources (like Skin Deep and the Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce) to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change. The shopping guide provides a list of “The Dirty Dozen”, (must buy organic) and “The Clean 15″ (foods that are not as critical to buy organic because they absorb less pesticides).

4. Read Marion Nestle’s What to Eat

Nestle walks readers through every supermarket section–produce, meat, fish, dairy, packaged foods, bottled waters, and more–decoding labels and clarifying nutritional and other claims (in supermarket-speak, for example, “fresh” means most likely to spoil first, not recently picked or prepared), and in so doing explores issues like the effects of food production on our environment, the way pricing works, and additives and their effect on nutrition. It is a great, often funny read, and a good way to educate yourself on something we ingest multiple times a day.

As citizens and consumers, our actions are critical, particularly with something as important and pervasive as food.

Photo courtesy of Tarlyn via Flickr under Creative Commons license.

]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/25/pesticides-in-babys-food/feed/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/19/growing-plastic-2/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/19/growing-plastic-2/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:10 +0000 Lisa Wojnovich http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/19/growing-plastic-2/ In the constant push for ever newer and greener technology and energy, we sometimes forget that it is often both simpler and cheaper to revisit old techniques in new ways. And that’s exactly what a group of researchers in California has done.

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It will now take steps to reduce pesticide use in potato production for its supply.

Our U.S. potato suppliers are already working with their growers to advance sustainable pesticide practices, such as reductions and alternative methods.

And because it accounts for a huge chunk of U.S. spud use, I suppose it’s good that they’re leaning toward organic. But this isn’t some charitable thing, though they’re gonna spin it that way (of course).

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