I try to avoid food which that have ever been touched with pesticides or herbicides. It is difficult to avoid foods that have been contaminated since grocery stores don’t share this information with you. Sometimes you can just pass through the produce section and see the thick layer of chemical residue on the oranges or grapes. I’ll get home and wash my produce thoroughly without ever knowing the quantity of pesticides I’m consuming. I’m looking forward to a day when I scan my produce at the check-out counter and see how exactly how my produce was grown and under what conditions. I recently wrote to the mayor of CT about how I’d like some changes in major grocers…I am looking forward to that response.
Genetically modified/engineered (GM/GE) and conventionally grown food growers are finding ways for food to become resistant to pesticides in their own right. Herbicide resistant crops are being engineered so that the farmers can spray even more chemicals by killing weeds and bugs without damaging their produce. However, these chemicals sink through fruits and vegetables skin and live in the produce and are then consumed by humans. Whether it be organic or conventionally grown produce, I thoroughly wash my fruit and vegetables. As hard as I try to clean my produce, I will never truly be free of the pesticides unless I’m eating 100% organic in all facets of my life; this can be expensive and difficult to find all-organic foods. Farmers don’t have problems getting as many government-funded pesticides as possible. Some of the major chemical companies include Monsanto, DuPont, Aventis and Syngenta. For a very informative video on the ways of Monsanto, refer to the end of my post for video.
Pesticide use is on the rise as bugs and weeds build immunity against the chemicals. Bugs and weeds then turn to “super bugs” or “super weeds” and the standard approach has been to pump up the dosage of chemicals to kill them off. In 1965, US farmers used 335 million pounds of pesticides. In 1989, 806 million pounds of pesticides were used. Less than 10 years after that date, 985 million pounds of pesticides were used. 20% of these approved chemicals are carcinogenic in humans (Source, Book – Animal, Vegetable, Mineral). You’re probably wondering about how the bugs are doing…they are holding up just fine! More than 500 species of insects and mites resist the common chemicals used and 300+ weeds resist chemicals. It is a non-stop battle between farmer versus pest versus pesticide. More toxic chemicals will be used and we will continue to consume them. It is up to our buying behavior to bring about change. If we continue purchasing chemically sprayed strawberries, chemically sprayed strawberries is what we shall receive.
For great insight into the cheap and evil controllers of our food industry, watch video below (Recommend watching the first 30 minutes):
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