Consumer Report Exposes Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables

Our Food is Poisioned (Part 3)

After analyzing seven years (2016-22) of USDA pesticide data for residues left on produce of the 59 most common fruits and vegetables (n = 29,643), Consumer Reports found that pesticide residues posed substantial risks in 20% of purchased produce including bell peppers, blueberries, green beans, potatoes, and strawberries. Using chronic toxicity posed to a 35 pound child per daily child size serving as their standard of evaluation they found that 10 fruits and vegetables were found to have a moderate risk profile while 12 were found to present a high risk with 4 at an extreme risk. Some of the high risk fruits and veggies were found to still have residues from pesticides that have long been banned. For instance, green beans were found to have acephate residue despite it being banned from application in 2011 but found in 4% of green bean samples.

A systematic review of 6 prospective American and French studies investigating the impact of dietary exposure to pesticide residues on cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality risks found one NutriNet-Santé study that observed a higher risk of type 2 diabetes among participants with a higher exposure profile to synthetic pesticides, a higher risk of glioma among NHS participants who have a high intake of high residue fruits and vegetables, and another French study among female participants that observed a positive association between exposure to the residues of pesticide mixtures using chlorpyrifos, imazalil, malathion, thiabendazole and postmenopausal breast cancer. However, no all cause mortality risk was found for either high or low dietary pesticide exposure likely because any risk is already dwarfed by the already high risk of all cause mortality implicated by UPF consumption which is still much worse than eating fruits and vegetables with pesticide residues on them.