but its the plastic wrapping and pesticides which make em taste so good

[Guest guest]

Research Dispels Myth of U.S. Food as Safest and Cheapest

 

July 9, 2004

 

The public is led to believe that the U.S. food supply is the

cheapest and safest in the world yet is rarely given a scientific

basis for these claims. Recent reports use government data to

question the accuracy of these claims, and point to unsafe levels of

chemical pesticides in the food we eat and in our bodies. Even more

troubling, research shows an increased probability of exposure in

those most sensitive to the negative effects of pesticides -- the

elderly, pregnant women and children.

 

Dr. Charles Benbrook, an agronomist working with the Organic Center

in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and the Northwest Science and

Environmental Policy Center in Sandpoint, Idaho, has compared

systems of food safety and supply in various nations for 25 years,

and notes that a purely fact-based international ranking system for

the safety of food does not exist. Benbrook argues that testing is

not done for all of the factors most likely to affect food safety,

including testing for everything from pesticide residue to microbial

contamination. Once all the necessary factors are taken into

account, several counties -- including France, the Netherlands,

Great Britain and Japan -- would score much higher than the U.S. in

terms of food safety. These countries have made substantial

investments in food safety standards and monitoring and now have

systems that are far more comprehensive than those in the U.S.

 

The issue of pesticide residues on food tops Benbrook's list of

factors contributing to food safety. In a report released in May

2004, Minimizing Pesticide Dietary Exposure Through Consumption of

Organic Foods, Benbrook concludes that eating organic produce

drastically reduces the likelihood of ingesting pesticide residues

and thus increases the safety level of the diet. According to his

report, conventional crops are three to four times more likely to

contain pesticide residues at levels 3 to 10 times higher than

levels found in organic crops. Of even greater concern, however,

some of the most contaminated foods are those frequently consumed by

children, including apples, pears and celery. This finding is

particularly significant because children are more vulnerable to the

adverse effects of pesticides. The recent PANNA report, Chemical

Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability

concludes that children carry some of the highest levels of

pesticides in the U.S. p

 

Benbrook's work also disputes the claim that U.S. food is

inexpensive when compared to food costs in other countries. The most

commonly used method of comparison examines food prices based on the

proportion of average income devoted to food. Using this method, the

U.S. would have the cheapest food prices, devoting only 9.7 percent

of per capita income to food. Benbrook points out, however, that

this does not mean that food is necessarily cheap in the U.S., but

simply that it is affordable based on the average U.S. income. When

consumers purchase food with an income level lower than the U.S.

average -- not an unlikely scenario as poverty rates increase - food

costs are substantially higher than the analysis would indicate.

 

In order to get a more realistic international measure of food

affordability, Benbrook compares food prices based on the income

spent per 1,000 calories in a given day. The U.S. ranks far worse

using this method, spending US$ 2.28 per 1,000 calories, compared to

US$ 0.39 spent in Sierra Leone. In reality, " Some 90% of humanity

spends less per calorie of food than Americans, " said Benbrook. He

notes that U.S residents pay for lots of convenience, packaging and

services with their food dollars, so it's perfectly reasonable that

they pay more for it.

 

Sources: The Agribusiness Examiner. April 2, 2004,

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/foodmyth040504.cfm;

Benbrook, C. Minimizing Pesticide Dietary Exposure through

Consumption of Organic Foods. The Organic Center for Education and

Promotion, May 2004, http://ocep.spiralfx.com/pics/Executive%

20Summary200dpi.pdf; Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and

Corporate Accountability. PANNA, May 2004, http://www.panna.org;

Press Briefing Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic

Statistics Division. September 26, 2003,

http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/income02/prs03asc.html.