The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved four categories of organic labels, based on the percentage of organic content. 1. 100 Percent Organic - may display the USDA Organic Seal. 2. Organic - at least 95% of content is organic by weight (excluding water and salt). May display the USDA Organic Seal. 3. Made With Organic - at least 70% of content is organic. May display the phrase "Made with Organic" followed by up to three specific ingredients. (May not display USDA Organic seal) 4. Some Organic Ingredients. Less than 70 % of content is organic. May only list those ingredients that are organic on the ingredient panel with no mention of organic on the main panel. (May not display USDA Organic seal) USDA Regulations: Do not allow the use of irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms in organic production. Do not allow antibiotics in organic meat and poultry. Require 100% organic feed for organic livestock. Do not allow synthetic and prohibited natural substances that are on the NOSB list. |
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| F&V with Lowest Pesticide Load |
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| Organic Musts . |
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| For detailed USDA specifics see below |
| Worst Vegetables |
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| F&V found with Mid-Range Levels of Pesticides |
| see detailed USDA specifics below... |
| For detailed USDA specifics see below... |
| Worst Fruits |
| Other Foods with High Pesticide Levels, GMOs, or Growth Hormones |
| Attempt to steer clear of Non-Organic: |
| Most pesticides accumulate in fat tissue (lipophilic). Some get stored in muscle and some cycle about in our bloodstream. |
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| IN the 2005 and 2006 data the USDA tested for 252 parent pesticides, metabolites, degradates, and/or isomers. The fruits and vegetables were tested after peeling or washing. 2006 data supplants 2005 data when available.*5 Approximately 82% of all samples were from US growers and 16% were imported.6 |
| Rates of pesticide application vary significantly among crops... |
| Processed Fruit and Vegetables ' In most instances, washing by itself was shown to reduce residues, blanching reduced them even further, and the canning process led to even further decreases.''3 But, remember the USDA washed the F&V samples (above) before testing. |
| That's a lot of Cooking ! It was shown that thermal processing of spinach at 110°C for 60 minutes and apricots at 100°C for 50 minutes decreased the initial residue by 100 and 60% respectively. After one year's storage of canned apricots at ambient temperatures the remaining residue had disappeared totally (Elkins et al. 1972). Household cooking of deep frozen beans with about 1 mg/kg azinphos-methyl for 15 minutes decreased the residue by about 85% (Carlin et al. 1966). (Anderson et al. 1963, Gunther et al. 1963). 7 |
| Vegetable and Fruit Washes: Make your own produce wash with either a couple of teaspoons of vinegar or a few drops of eco-dishwashing liquid or organic castille soap in a few cups of water, dip the fruit or vegetable a couple of times and then rinse with clean water. Or thoroughly, but softly scrub the produce with the solution, then rinse with water. "Researchers in Texas substantially reduced the pesticide residues on 17 popular fruits and vegetables by washing in a dilute solution of dish detergent (1 tsp. per gallon of water), then rinsing in slightly warm water."11 |
| 'Residue levels in lettuce were 40-80% lower when the guard leaves were removed.' 8 |
| For detailed USDA specifics see below... |
| Best! |
| "Six F&V sampled for two or more years, consistently had detectable residues on 90% or more of the samples; apples, celery, cherries, nectarines, peaches, strawberries.''6 |
| For Nutritional Value of Organic Foods-Reports: see food resources page, plus, a must read = excerpt from ”Organic Matters” By Henry Brockman henrysfarm.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=51 |
| Buying Local Reduces exposure to all those post-harvest fungicides... |
| During 1993–2003,USDA tests showed approximately 37% of carrot samples, 39 percent of spinach samples, 7% of potato samples, 44% of beef adipose, and 15% of cow’s milk samples contained DDE p,p´a DDT metabolite,.6 |
| "Less than 21% of all pesticides sold in U.S. have been adequately tested for carcinogenicity. Less than 10% have been adequately tested for their ability to cause genetic mutations, and less than 40% have been adequately tested for their potential to cause birth defects." 11 |
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