Modesto area grows produce items on Dirty Dozen list for pesticides. Is survey valid?
Several produce items grown in Stanislaus County turned up on the latest Dirty Dozen list for pesticide residues.
Wednesday’s news release from the Environmental Working Group brought the usual response from farm leaders: The methodology is badly flawed, and the list could scare consumers off fruits and vegetables that are plenty safe.
The 2023 list of the most residue-laden foods, followed by statements from each side:
1. Strawberries: A small crop is harvested in the Central Valley in spring, but most comes from coastal parts of California.
2. Spinach: It is a tiny part of Valley agriculture but grows in abundance on the Central Coast.
3. Kale, collard and mustard greens: Roughly the same range as spinach.
4. Peaches: A fresh-market staple throughout the Valley each summer. The crop also supplies canneries in Modesto and Lodi.
5. Pears: They grow up and down the Valley, though not much in Stanislaus, and also go to canneries.
6. Nectarines: Another big summer crop, harvested for the fresh market mainly from Fresno to Kern counties.
7. Apples: Not a major crop in California. San Joaquin County ranks second after El Dorado County.
8. Grapes: The fresh-market crop grows mainly from Madera to Kern counties. A far greater volume is crushed at wineries in the Modesto area and elsewhere.
9. Bell and hot peppers: Mainly a coastal crop, with minor volume in the Valley.
10. Cherries: San Joaquin leads by far, but Stanislaus has notable volume from the spring harvest.
11. Blueberries: Another minor spring crop from the Valley.
12: Green beans: A niche product in the Valley, not to be confused with the dried beans of various types from the West Side.
Any level of pesticide is of concern, even if it is within federal standards, said the release from the EWG, based in Washington, D.C.
“Despite the abundance of science linking exposure to pesticides with serious health issues, a potentially toxic cocktail of concerning chemicals continues to taint many of the non-organic fruits and vegetables eaten by consumers,” said Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist for the group.
The EWG urges people to eat organic produce, which cannot be grown with chemical pesticides under federal rules. It also points them to the Clean 15 list of safer foods, many of them with thick skins. The top five are avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, onion and papaya.
The EWG bases its lists on routine testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration.
The latest Dirty Dozen prompted a news release from the Alliance for Food and Farming, an industry group based near Santa Cruz. It noted that 99% of foods tested by the USDA had pesticide residues within health standards, and 25% had no traces at all.
The release quoted board member Sylvia Klinger, a dietitian and founder of Hispanic Food Communications.
“These fear tactics used in the ‘Dirty Dozen’ report are actually hurting consumers, especially the vulnerable populations, and may lead consumers to eat even less produce,” she said.
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