Our food choices have a direct effect on the health of our environment and those who grow and harvest what we eat. That’s why food labeled “organic” is the right choice. In addition to serious health questions linked to actual residues of toxic pesticides on the food we eat, our food buying decisions support or reject hazardous agricultural practices, protection of farmworkers and farm families, and stewardship of the earth.
Beyond Pesticides has created a chart that provides a summary of the health and environmental effects of the pesticides with established tolerances (domestic or import) for 43 commonly consumed fruits and vegetables, based on data from the US Deparment of Agriculture. It highlights the impacts of the conventional, chemical-intensive agricultural system – in addition to pesticide residues. In addition to habitat loss due to the expansion of agricultural and urban areas, the database shows that there are pesticides used in chemically-intensive agriculture that are considered toxic to honey bees and other insect pollinators.
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