I’m told the EWG plans on releasing its annual “dirty dozen” list today. If you don’t know, EWG ranks produce that has the highest levels of pesticide residue and suggests consumer purchase organic versions.
But EWG and its list are nothing more than a dirty lie. Here’s why:
? The Environmental Protection Agency considers how pesticides can harm people before those pesticides are allowed for commercial use. And we know how much a person can encounter before they’ll see any biological effect. That level is called a tolerance.
? Tolerances are set extremely conservatively. Why? Because we want it to be completely unrealistic for any person to encounter enough pesticide residue to matter.
? In fact, it would be *impossible* for you to eat enough pesticide residue to see an impact. For example, a woman could eat 850 apples IN ONE DAY and still not encounter enough pesticide residue to make a difference. You can calculate your own risk here.
? We also make sure everyone is following the rules. USDA does annual, random sampling to make sure that the food in the grocery store is well within the tolerances. Each year, again and again, USDA’s conclusion is that there’s nothing to worry about. Read about the latest results here.
? If you’re still concerned about pesticide residue, wash your produce for 20 seconds under running water. That will clean it right up! Quite frankly, you should probably do this anyway because you never know who touched your food along the supply chain!
? The only thing you should be worried about when it comes to fruits and vegetables is whether you’re eating enough of them! Most of us aren’t! So stop paying attention to labels and start eating!
