2 San Diego Uptown News | Mar. 18–31, 2011
FEATURE
Sweet and Toxic: Rethinking California strawberries
Strawberries are beginning to appear in markets across the county, but recent legislation in the state of California legalizing the use of methyl iodide, a known neurotoxin, should make you think twice before snagging those “two for $5 baskets” from your local supermarket.
Methyl iodide replaces methyl
bromide, a pesticide found to con- tribute to ozone depletion, which eradicates weeds and insects that damage strawberries. Last year, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) hired a team of consultants, convening as the Scientific Review Committee on Methyl Iodide, to study its im- pacts. In February 2010, the group concluded that the herbicide/in- secticide/fungicide is significantly toxic after hearing testimony from Arysta, the manufacturer of the chemical; the EPA and farm work- ers, among others.
Yet,
on Dec. 1, 2010, methyl iodide was approved in the State of California. It has not been approved in Wash- ington, D.C., and New York. According to Veda Federighi,
external affairs director for the CDPR, methyl iodide is used to treat the soil that incubates straw- berries and is never sprayed direct- ly on the fruit. Despite the report’s findings, the CDPR concluded that the compound can be used safely. “In the same way another kind of authority would set a speed limit on our road, if we believe [a com- pound] cannot be used safely, we will not allow it to be registered,” said Veda Federighi, external affairs
SlowLane Brook Larios
director for CDPR. San Diego County growers who helm small and mid-sized farms commonly insist that soil quality is one of the most important fac- tors in growing nutritious produce. Given the chemical’s potential harm, even those who are near the spray, I’m not convinced by Federighi’s reasoning with regard to the
chemical’s use on soil verses plant. Uptown chef Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy in South Park said he will not serve guests strawberries grown in soil containing methyl iodide. “Last year, we sourced our
strawberries from Suzie’s Organic Farm, Tierra Miguel Founda- tion and Harry’s Berries—all of which are organic,” he said. “The strawberries in question are the mass produced variety primarily found in grocery stores and [from] corporate food distributors. The scientific studies are inconclusive, as far as how much damage this chemical will
produce...for...field
workers, let alone the environment and long-term effects for human consumption. You will not be seeing these strawberries on our dinner tables.”
Other uptown chefs and res- taurateurs are aware of the toxic brew, many working with smaller distributors like Specialty Produce and
Mo-
ceri Pro- duce, the latter of which Trish
Watlington, owner of neighboring locales The Red Door and The Wellington in Mission Hills, uses. “We are aware of the methyl iodide pesticide and choose not to serve those treated with this chemi- cal in our restaurants,” she said. Further results of the study are too staggering to ignore: The group found that methyl
see Strawberries, page 8
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