Not Much Evidence

"DO you ever buy organic food?" I asked my wife. She quickly answered, "No". Then I asked, "Why do some people buy it?" She replied what most people say, "Because it's free of pesticides".

But is this true? And with increasing food prices, is it prudent to spend hard-earned dollars on organic farm products?

A report in the Nutrition Action Health Letter provides much more insight about organic foods. It states that a Neilsen study showed 34 per cent of Canadians purchased organic foods to avoid pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Others in the study believed these products were more nutritious than conventional foods.

The problem is, there is little data on the risks associated with eating fruits and vegetables that contain pesticide residues. For instance, this morning I had a fresh peach with bran cereal, a breakfast I've always considered to be a healthy one. But then I discovered Nutrition Action's list of the top "dirty dozen" fruits and vegetables that contain pesticide residues."

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