Did you know?

• Studies show that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry.  

• The human health impacts linked to pesticide exposure range from birth defects and childhood brain cancer in the very young, to Parkinsons’ Disease in the elderly. In between are a variety of other cancers, developmental and neurological disorders, reproductive and hormonal system disruptions, and more.

• Pesticides don’t stay where they’re applied. They drift from their target and are carried in our air, oceans, rivers, groundwater and soil. They contaminate ecosystems and can poison fish, birds and wildlife. Water supplies around the world contain measurable amounts of pesticides.

• Pesticides that prevent insect-damage also help prevent the growth of a mold that produces a natural, but potent cancer-causing poison called aflatoxin in food.

• It is not known how different pesticide residues interact in the body, or how the combined residues affect human health.

• 99% of Americans tested positive for DDT degradants, even though DDT hasn't been used in the U.S. since 1972. Women who were exposed to DDT as girls are 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer.

• Kids with above-average pesticide exposures are twice as likely to have ADHD.

• Increasing your consumption of organic foods can have an immediate impact on your pesticide exposure levels.

• organic oranges have twice as much vitamin C compared to non-organic ones.

• organic fruit and vegetables have more vitamins and antioxidants than non-organic ones.

You are what you eat... really!

The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in conventional agriculture compromises the safety of the food for several reasons. One reason is that antigens can appear unexpectedly in unrelated foods, causing surprise allergic reactions in people. There is insufficient evidence regarding the safety of GMOs, yet they are widely used around the world. Negative health effects due to the consumption of GMO's have been observed in animals. 

Conventional farming uses a large amount of chemical fertilizers, hormones and pesticides, which end up in the final product. It also impoverishes the land and decreases diversity.

What are pesticide residues?
Nasty stuff, actually. Sometimes foods carry small amounts of pesticides currently used on farms, and even pesticides no longer used, but which are long-lasting in the soil and water. Pesticide residues refer to the small amounts of pesticides and pesticide breakdown products in or on food.

Every food category has an organic alternative!

What's the difference?

Unlike conventional crops, which may have 15 or more separate applications of pesticides before they reach supermarkets, organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides that persist in the environment or on food crops. The chemicals and other growing practices used by the organic farmer (such as the use of sulfur, beneficial insects, and natural pyrethrins) are safe for you and the environment. 

There are lots of reasons why organic food products are preferable:

• chemical free food!  We think that might even taste better!
• cleaner air and water by decreasing the amount of chemicals used.
• prevention of soil erosion by enriching the soil with organic material, such as compost, which helps enrich the ground.
• Animals are raised without the use of growth hormones and antibiotics, so they don’t end up in your own body either. They are also fed with pesticide-free food, which makes it healthier for humans to eat.
• It supports small farms, that are often family-owned and protects their health compared to conventional farming.

More on pesticides in food:

• http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/
• http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/factsheet/pesticide/fs24.consumer.cfm
• http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/pesticides-on-food
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44260583/ns/health-childrens_health/t/pesticides-food-linked-adhd-kids/#.UPKmc45WSgE

More on the reasons to go organic:

• http://www.ota.com/organic_and_you/10reasons.html
• http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#slide-1
• http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/food/food_bev.htm

Films and documentaries about food and the related problems: 

• Food Inc    
• Dirt! The movie    
• Killer at Large  
• King Corn  
• The Garden  
• The Future of Food  
• Our Daily Bread  
• As We Sow  
• Food Matters    
• Forks over Knives  
• What’s on Your Plate?  
• Fast Food Nation  

References

• http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/factsheet/pesticide/fs24.consumer.cfm
• http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/food/food_bev.htm
• http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/
• http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/factsheet/pesticide/fs24.consumer.cfm
• http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/pesticides-on-food
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44260583/ns/health-childrens_health/t/pesticides-food-linked-adhd-kids/#.UPKmc45WSgE
• http://thegoodhuman.com/2012/04/17/top-10-food-documentaries/
• http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/17-must-see-food-documentaries.html
• http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/1_arguments_for_oa/food_quality/f_quality_main_page.html