For many shoppers, "organic" is synonymous with "pesticide-free" — but did you know produce can contain commercial pesticides and still be labeled organic? NPR explains why organic labeling is less straightforward than it seems.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 20 percent of organic lettuce tests positive for pesticides, particularly a pesticide made by Dow Chemical called spinosad. Organic labeling laws allow naturally occurring chemicals to be applied to crops, so spinosad — which comes from a soil bacterium — can be used in organic farming, although the EPA considers the substance slightly toxic.
Are these naturally occurring pesticides safer than synthetic? According to Jeff Gillman, a professor of nursery management at the University of Minnesota and organic practice expert, it depends on the amount used:
"To control fire blight on the same acre of land," he explains, "I could use a tiny amount of a potent synthetic that has proved safe over the last 50 years, or a much larger amount of an organic pesticide." He demurs on saying which is better, saying, "I want people to know that there are definitely tradeoffs."
Once again, the best answer seems to be buying local produce from growers you trust.
• Check it out: Organic Pesticides: Not An Oxymoron at NPR
Did you know some pesticides were allowed in organic produce? Will this change your buying habits?
Related: Best Conventional Produce: 15 Lowest Pesticide Choices
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This makes me so sad.
Thanks for this warning. Local is the way to go. What about the radiation coming down in rain? Should we worry about that, too, especially with home-grown lettuce?
What makes people think that local farmers aren't using pesticides and herbicides? All my neighbor farmers use chemicals and they sell at the local farmers market. They don't pretend to be organic but people seem to think that if they see the farmer at the market, they assume the veg is organic. Nope.
And so my ongoing suspicion of products labeled "organic" continues -- main reason why I don't get the hullabaloo over Whole Foods.
Note to young'uns of all ages: question authority. And never believe marketing hype!
It's all about knowing where your food comes from. Foster relationships with your local farmers. Ask questions. Come from a place of openness and curiosity. The more informed you are, the better you are armed to make choices about the food you buy!
I actually worked on a farm for a summer and almost lost my job because I kept trying to convince the owner to "go organic." Eventually, I came to understand that the method he used was safer and resulted in better produce, and will allow the land to continue producing for generations, not years, which was more important to him because it's a family farm. They even have someone from a nearby (well, 2 hours) university come out once a month to check on the volume of pests in the orchard so that no more pesticides than were absolutely necessary would be used.
This. This is why I don't fall into the "organic" scheme. Yes, it's a nice idea, for sure. However, like wistfuldreamer said, family farmer's methods of using pesticides and herbicides to protect the produce from harmful pests, and also act as vitamins for the fruit, make the produce last for generations. My family has a century farm, and has been successfully farming apples since the 18th century, and it's because of this, that our produce still keeps producing.
Unfortunately, the NPR piece didn't allow any organic producers or certifying agencies to comment or provide an argument.
There is NO reason that food defined as "local" has ANY less synthetic pesticides than non-local food, that simply does not make sense. There are no federal standards for "natural," "pesticide free," or "local."
The National Organic Program now calls for mandatory testing for pesticides. The reason that pesticides are ending up on ORGANIC fields is DUE TO CONVENTIONAL "LOCAL" producers using synthetic and hazardous chemicals on their crops. The pesticides then drift onto the fields and crops of organic producers.
Organic farmings is the ONLY farming system that requires ANY inspections or verification of pesticide residues. CONSIDER that. Your local farmer may claim "pesticide free" but there is no way to verify that claim given that there is no third party inspection required for their land, as is required by the National Organic Program.
LEARN MORE BEFORE POSTING SUCH A BIASED ARTICLE APARTMENT THERAPY. Local food does not guarantee less erosion from agrichemicals, it does not guarantee anything in fact, as the definition of "Local" doesn't even have standards. Local in no way means that any less chemicals were applied or any less ANYTHING. It simply means it came from somewhere nearby, whatever someone defines as "nearby"
Are you serious Sarah?? Show me any scientific data that says that PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES are "ACTING AS VITAMINS FOR THE FRUIT"
ARE YOU SERIOUS?????? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? Look at any endocrine disrupter, look at the effect of pesticide residues in children's development, look at the nutrition of GE varieties vs. heirloom.
Organic "scheme"? You are simply falling prey to a pesticide/herbicide/national agrichemical business "scheme" that has you believing that toxic chemicals are "vitamins" to your food.
That's just sad.
I did know pesticides are used in organic produce. The CSA we subscribe to - www.eatwell.com - is always very upfront in their blog posts about what is happening on the farm and never use more sprays/treatments than necessary, or none at all if it's not a huge problem.
Another reason why I have not jumped on the $4.99/lb organic apple bandwagon...
So what we should really take from this is that they need to tighten the definition of Organic. THAT is what we SHOULD take from this article. I would prefer to grow my own food so I know where it came from but physical disabilities prevent this so I am forced to eat whatever pesticide-laden atrocitiy they stock the coolers with...at least until people demand a tightening of the organic label or a 'no pesticides' label as an additional label.
I worked on a small, family owned farm market for five years; and customers used to give me crap because we weren't organic. As my boss used to say, the organic pesticides are far more expensive and sometimes just as dangerous or more so than regular pesticides. When you're a small business, sometimes you can't afford to compete with the bigger markets that sell organic. Just know that going out to the small guy generally means you're getting fresher produce that is in far better condition that that stuff that larger, corporate owned grocerery stores. And that large grocers can sell local produce cheaper than the farm itself, because they have other product that they sell in their far bigger stores.
And organic isn't always better: I think knowing what state or even county my fruit is coming from, and how long it has been waiting to go out onto the floor, is far better for our bodies than pesticides.
Why would organic crops not be subject to pests just the same as any other crop? Some level of "pesticide" is applied in many cases, be it somebody hand picking caterpillars off the plants or, in this case, applying a naturally derived material (a previous version of Spinosad used a synthetic spoilant retardant -- now that has been removed, it is 100% naturally derived).
The EPA uses a acute exposure toxicity rating to predict human health effects. This is the crazy lab rat hyper dose that nobody could reasonably be expected to be exposed to unless you asked to be sprayed from head to toe with the stuff over and over again. "Caution" is the lowest level word the EPA can possibly use on any substance that has been tested (unlikely they would be willing to stake a claim that something has "no effects," or hey, how about "beneficial to humans" -- not gonna happen).
There does appear to be some effects from Spinosad to other critters in the environment, including bees, so not saying its the greatest thing ever made, but it certainly beats the synthetic alternative.
It seems naive to think many organic farmers, particularly large scale operations, are not employing some type of pest control, and it seems a little alarmist to make "pesticide" a bad word across the board. If this was the worst possible thing we had to worry about being applied to our food, I would be a happy consumer!
I strongly agree with thefeltmouse: "It seems naive to think many organic farmers, particularly large scale operations, are not employing some type of pest control, and it seems a little alarmist to make "pesticide" a bad word across the board."
Also, in my mind the standard should not be who made the pesticide and from what, but rather, what risk does it pose to the health of the ecosystem and the people that are exposed (either by eating the produce or through other contact). I mean, arsenic is naturally occuring and has been used as a pesticide, but that wouldn't make me comfortable eating arsenic residue. So it's not as simple as "natural" versus "synthtic" or "commercial."
Yes, I know what can be used on organic crops and I absolutely prefer to buy organic. There are also a few farmers that I know and respect who aren't certified and I buy their product.
Organic isn't perfect, but it is better overall for the earth, workers, and our kids. And although I avoid buying a lot of imported food, buying "local" doesn't necessarily mean much.
If you want to be a super shopper, get to everyone, learn about the issues in their farms, make choices about what is acceptable to you and your family. But if you don't have the time or inclination, then at least buy organic. It is a lot better than conventional.
Producers whether organic or conventional are not going to use MORE chemical then needed. Spraying unnecessarily= a cut in the profit. There is a fine threshold between the loss in product (could even be cosmetic loss) VS. cost of spraying. It's up to producers to determine their threshold for their markets. Every farm is going to be different but farmers are trying to make money and they aren't going to spray unless potential loss is greater than cost to treat. I took an integrative pest management (IPM) class when I studied horticulture at PSU, that's how profitable farms work. I also agree with LBLB- pesticides aren't "vitamins" for the fruit- that would be called a nutrient which is supplied to the plant through the soil via fertilizer, manure or compost/organic matter. Pesticides are used to kill pests- insects, diseases ect. They provide NO benefit to the plants except (hopefully) kill or stunt the PEST.