5 Reasons to Avoid Buying the Non-Organic “Clean 15″
If you are not aware, the “Clean 15″ is a list comprised of 15 produce items that are typically deemed acceptable to purchase non-organically. The list (and variations of it) have been circulating online recently on blogs, news sources and Twitter. Some of the items on the list include: asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, sweet potatoes, watermelon, onions, among others.
Do you trust buying non-organic produce? Are you not convinced that buying organic produce is worth the extra money? The following is a list of facts and explanations, to help persuade us all that going “all organic” is the healthiest and most environmental choice.
1
According to Organic.org the USDA reports .5% of crops and pasture lands are organic. This leaves the other 99.5% to be non-organic and containing pesticides and herbicides, which have been proven to be toxic to humans. The list you see called, “the clean 15,” names food items thought to be “safe” to buy non-organic. However, this list is only representative of foods that show fewer amounts of pesticides when tested. The pesticides are however, still present.
2
As explained by holisticmed.com, though the US has banned certain pesticides from being used in farming practices, pesticide manufacturing companies are often selling their products abroad. These products are used on crops and then shipped to the US for sale and consumption. An article in the L.A. Times, discusses a chemical manufacturing company, Amvac Chemical Corp. Their products are being sold around the world even though they have already proved hazardous to human health and the environment. Some of the chemicals they produce, like organophosphates, have been under investigation since the 1980’s.
3
Stated by the National Organic Standards Board, GMOs are “made with techniques that alter the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes.” According to the Organic Trade Association, GMOs are banned in the production and processing of organic foods. Non-organic foods do not have to be labeled GMO, nor is the practice of using GMO regulated.
4
Holisticmed.com discusses that, due to the influence of large chemical companies, the government has raised the limitations set on how much pesticide residue is allowed to be present in your non-organic food. The Pesticide Action Network gave a recent update on one of the most common herbicides used today, atrazine. It has been linked to causing a sex-reversal in frogs and acts as an “endocrine disruptor” in humans. The EPA is currently reviewing the health risks of this chemical. The main point is that acceptable levels of this chemical, are unknown at this point, and still showing up in our food.
5
The use of pesticides and herbicides are detrimental to the environment. The USGS explains, that when pesticides and herbicides are applied, they do not stay in one place. The toxins are moved around by means of wind, rain, and absorption into the soil. The effects seem invisible to the eye, but show up in environmental testing of our soil and water resources.
The chemicals that are in use today have not been around long enough to know their lasting effects on human health and the environment. New discoveries are being made daily regarding this matter. One way you can have less question is by supporting organic foods and farming practices. Your body and the environment will thank you.
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Great article Ashley. I try to buy organically mostly, but this will probably push me over the edge to buy everything organic that I can.
Thanks Teri!! I learned SO much writing this article. I feel the same as you!
Excellent piece (and scary). Lately I’ve been buying conventional peppers at the co-op because a) they have them and b) they’re SO MUCH cheaper, even though I know I should be looking more to seasonal produce. I get so tired of squash and yams.
Still, good to know I have very good reasons for continuing to buy organic! I’ll be tweeting this along (@forkfulofnews). Cheers!
Thanks so much Lindsay!! Completely scary…I definitely agree!
Did you happen to come across any research that said how much pesticides were on the clean 15 vs. the more dangerous types? Is it a significant amount?
I love the point about the environment damage of pesticide use…I often overlook that, but thanks for reminding me!
Hey Angela, You can go to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website for the actual research on pesticide residues found on our food. They list “the dirty dozen” (donate to their research fund and they’ll send you a refrigerator magnet of the list) and you can see for yourself. There are some foods that I simply won’t buy unless they’re certified. Given economic constraints, I will sometimes buy non-organic sale items – provided they’re not on the dirty dozen list.
Hey Angela! I didn’t find information on exact amounts of pesticides uses on them or how much more/less is on them in comparison to the “dirty dozen” list. However, I found a lot of information supporting how toxic these chemicals are when built up in our bodies. Also, the government regulates the amounts of pesticides allowed to be used based on the average sized adults! I hate to think of the impact they have on small children. I also read that although some fruits/veggies have a thicker skin the pesticides are still absorbed through. Washing the outside skin can only do so much. Also remember, that all of these pesticides are being tested on laboratory animals.
Thank you both so much!
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I applied a lot of pesticides, I had been illusioned, naive and believed the propaganda from the ag chemical industry, which corrupted info from Cornell & other universities.
I have used Gerson style “coffee breaks” over the past year and a half to get the toxic residues out of my liver and the rest of my body.. see “Detoxifying” at http://www.alphamagic.org/healing for info on detoxifying. I costs all of about 63¢ per ‘treatment’, and is probably, besides eating ONLY organic, one of the best things we can do to protect our health, to Re-create vibrant health.
We’ve had a CURE for cancer for over 75 years, and the orthodox medical and parmaceutical industry don’t want you to know about it. It’s based on ORGANIC plant based diet, juicing, & detoxifying. See: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheIncurablesVid, the story of Professor Issa Khalef, diagnosed with terminal cancer, a year later cancer free, based on MRI, and enjoying vibrant health.
vote with your food dollars, boycott all GMO’s & chemically grown Phudes (adulterated food). I can be reached through http://www.magicsoil.com
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Awesome article, Ashlei!
I do wish I could eat 100% organic. Unfortunately, it just isn’t feasible for me right now. There’s no way my budget has room for only organic. But I do grow a garden and everything in it is heirloom and organic. When I don’t have a flourishing garden (like now) I just do the best I can. I also support local farmer’s markets as often as possible.
That’s great. I totally understand that it isn’t feasible for everyone. So it is good to know which foods use less pesticides to be grown. It was eye opening to me doing the research and seeing how much control these mega-companies have over everything. Scary! Sounds like you’re doing all that you can…and that’s great!
We eat organic on a very limited budget and I spend significantly less that the national average on groceries. We eat only what is in season. During the winter months we eat frozen and dried organic fruits and veggies.
I also ask organic produce managers for their discards at the end of each week. These can be eaten on the same day cooked or cleaned up and frozen for later use. We also garden and that provides a significant amount of our produce.
Good job Ashley!
My personal philosophy is to go organic with anything that’s leafy or thin-skinned. So broccoli, asparagus, blueberries, peppers, etc all need to be organic.
I don’t care AS MUCH on haas avocados, but if there’s a good organic deal on them at my co-op I get em too. I stay away from bananas usually (a bit too high-glycemic for my liking) but organic is cheap enough not to mind.
Good work!
Way to go Ash! Basically, there’s no arguement against organic but the price. So if you can afford it, buy it.
I would also wonder about “corn” showing up on the clean list… considering that most of corn on the market is a genetically modified version of traditional corn – it remains one of the big NOs on my shopping list.