Pesticide residues on fruits? - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

Concerned Male · 03-08-2006, 10:47 PM

There have been various studies, such as the one done by Consumer Reports, that show that a substantial amount of pesticide residues are left on various types of non-organic fruits, even after being washed off. Certain types of fruits have higher pesticide residue levels than others. Fruits such as apples have a high pesticide amount left on them, while fruits such as bananas have a lower amount of pesticide residue left on them.

So it's been mentioned to purchase organic apples and other higher pesticide residue fruits such as peaches, pears, cherries, etc. There is a natural spray that came out that is supposed to work a lot better than water in removing pesiticides on fruits. So at times when I'm not able to purchase organic fruits, do you think the spray would be something good to try? Has anyone used it before? I was thinking about peeling off the skin of non-organic apples, but apparently pesticides can seep right through the skin anyway.

Lenin · 03-09-2006, 08:07 AM

I think peeling fruit when possible will solve the residue problem. Anything that's gotten INSIDE the fruit won't be removed no matter WHAT you spray on.

For something unpeelable like cherries and grapes, perhaps a soak for an hour in cold water might do the trick.
Any product that removes the residue more readily is a detergent of some kind. I'd give up the fruit if I felt I had to spray it with chemicals, natural or UN.

Concerned Male · 03-19-2006, 09:47 PM

Lenin,
Thanks for the reply. What are your views on organic fruits?

Lenin · 03-20-2006, 05:32 AM

Concerned,

I don;t think they are worth the markup...and I don't trust the term "ORGANIC"...the labelling standards are too lax.

Of course, if one has an apple or a peach tree or a mound of asparagus in the back yard, that's a different story.

stephanieadams · 03-21-2006, 06:43 AM

You can wash your fruits and veggies all you want, but it won't help the fact that the chemicals aren't just topical.....they're systemic. This means that the chemicals that have been sprayed on all of the other fruits and veggies for the past 20,30 etc. years have gotten into the soil and have become part of today's fruit/veggie. I used to feel the same about organic vs. non-organic produce, but in the past 5 years through research and personal experience I have become an advocate of organics. I not only purchase organic fruits and veggies, but I also buy organic dairy and eggs. I am a single mom with 3 kids and I am not in a position to spend $300.00/week in groceries. My compromise is to do this....I buy ALL of my eggs and dairy organic and mostly on sale - for the fruits and veggies I tend to mix 3/4 organic and 1/4 non-organic. As for meats with all of the bovine growth hormones in them....I buy all organic or none at all.