Conventional vs. Organic Produce: Which Should You Choose?
By Stephanie Walsh, MNT, CEPC, CPT
look down at the price, eek! There is a heftier price tag on those organic apples so you decide to reach for the cheaper, con- ventional one. I mean, what does it matter; an apple is an apple, right? Not necessar- ily. Once you understand more about one major difference between conventional and organic – pesticide use – you may just change your mind to choose health over expense.
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What is a Pesticide? According to the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency (EPA) website, a pesticide is, “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repel- ling or mitigating any pest” or used to regu- late, defoliate, desiccate or help fertilize a plant. When manufacturers create a pesti- cide to put on the market, they have an ac- tive ingredient specifi cally doing the work above, and inert ingredients which make up the rest of the pesticide product. These inert ingredients are like the secret ingre- dients of special sauce, protected informa- tion that does not need to be disclosed to the public. However, the word ‘inert’ can be a misnomer because these ingredients are not necessarily safe and non-toxic. In fact, in 2015 one inert ingredient used in
22 ELM™ Maine - July/August 2019
tanding in the produce aisle you stare at all the different choices for apples, including organic varieties. Then you
herbicides was banned in the European Union because of its high toxicity, yet is still allowed in the U.S.
Pesticides are grouped into main categories based on the active ingredient – rodenticides, soil fumigants, chemically related pesticide groups, biopesticides, plant-incorporated protectants, antimicro- bial pesticides and wood preservative pesti- cides. Three of these categories are impor- tant to know when picking your produce.
1. Chemically-related pesticide groups: includes organophosphates, carba- mate insecticides, neonicotinoids and organochlorine insecticides – all found to be toxic to some degree to bees, other wildlife and humans. While most of these were prevalent in the past many, but not all, now have been banned or restricted by the EPA.
2. Biopesticides: includes pest control through naturally occurring substances, microorganisms and genetically modi- fi ed plant material (PIPs).
3. Plant-incorporated protectants, or PIPs: plants that have been genetically modifi ed to create systemic pesticides. These pesticides are in every cell of the plant, you cannot wash them off or cut them out.
Before a manufacturer can market their pesticide in the United States, sev- eral governmental agencies need to be involved. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to evaluate cur- rent and proposed pesticides, determine whether there is, “reasonable certainty of no harm,” and set tolerances or exemp- tions from them based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowable limits and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards. The tolerance limits are set based on the toxicity of the pesticide, how much and how often it is applied, and how much residue remains in or on the food. There are currently over 700 pesticides listed for commercial use, just over 400 of which have specifi c tolerance limits and roughly 250 are exempted from a required tolerance limit.
The EPA is also required to reevalu- ate safety of each pesticide every 15 years if it is still on the market. This level of oversight came into effect in 1996. From 1996-2006, the EPA canceled or restricted the use of 270 pesticides and lowered the accepted limits of pesticide residues on certain foods. This extra scrutiny over the past 23 years is defi nitely a step in the right direction, however there is still more room for improvement. For instance, when registering a pesticide for commercial use, companies need to generate scientifi c data
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