A Field Guide to Buying Organic by Luddene Perry

Author:Luddene Perry [Perry, Luddene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-48476-5
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2005-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Pesticides in Oil

Just as pesticides tend to migrate to the fat cells of animals, they also show up in plant oils. In the FDA's Total Diet Study, both conventional olive oil and safflower oil showed some chemical contaminates—most frequently DDT, endosulfan, and other contaminants from processing, transportation, and plastic packaging.6 Organic oils were not tested, but organic production rules do not offer protection from these particular contaminants.

FATS AND PESTICIDES

The topic of fat is everywhere these days—in our newspapers, magazines, and diet books. It's on our TVs, radios, and computers. Mostly, however, fat is on our thighs, hips, and tummies, in what is called adipose tissue. The cells in this tissue serve as the body's storage lockers—excess calories are stored as fat. All plants and animals use this method of dealing with stuff their bodies can't break down.

Unfortunately, adipose tissue welcomes other things our bodies don't use, such as the chemical contaminants we consume with every meal—not just from pesticides, but also from indoor and outdoor air pollution, packaging, and cleaning solvents.

Any discussion about pesticide residues in organic food must confront this issue. Many of the chemicals that accumulate in our fat cells come from long-banned, persistent environmental contaminants. Although few organic fats and oils have been tested, there is no reason to believe they would be immune to these particular types of chemicals.

Despite NOP regulations regarding synthetic chemical inputs, their existence in our world is a fact of modern life. While several studies indicate that organic farming can reduce the residues from currently used synthetic pesticides, there is no evidence that organic food can protect us against the chemicals that persist in the environment.

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