Do We Need To Worry About Pesticides In Our Food?

There are food regulations which set the allowable limits for pesticide usage on food crops. On Instagram @AndreaHardyRD, I talk all about how important it is to understand the risks involved with pesticides use in our food chain.

Do we need to worry about pesticides in our food?

No. Here’s why.

Many people are trying to sell you ‘absolutism’ right now. All or nothing, black or white, good or bad. It’s simple for our brains that are so damn tired of thinking & deciding that we refer our decision making to someone that simplifies things (ahem misinformation). It’s EASIER – but it’s not right.

When we look at RISK, (the possibility of something bad happening), we need to consider exposure.

EX: an axe is a hazard. Sitting in your toolbox, can it hurt you? Only in the craziest circumstance possible (eg. a tornado ran through your building, as you were standing next to the toolbox, and somehow caused the axe to impale you.) Risk: Extremely low. Now – you give the axe to your 2 year old to play? Risk: Extremely high.

Skeptical? Let’s talk BOTOX. Botulism is one of the most dangerous toxins out there. 0.001 mg/kg could kill you. Risk of oral ingestion? High. Yet, we inject it into our body! We have considered the EXPOSURE and we know the risk is low. We’re comfortable with the known. Yet we’re so far removed from our food – pesticides are SCARY.

When understanding risk – we need to not just look at the hazard, but HOW we’re exposed. You’re saying ‘great – but I’d just rather not be exposed at all to something I don’t know a lot about… I’ll choose organic’.

It’s important to understand, organic is a PRODUCTION term. It doesn’t change safety. Choosing organic is fine – I just don’t want you to do it out of fear, because organic farmers use pesticide too! And that is also safe to consume in minute doses we do.

In Canada, the PMRA regulates both organic & conventional pesticide use. They set allowable limits for pesticide residue (MRL) which are FAR below the levels that carry RISK. The CFIA monitors pesticide residues on our food. >1/2 of our food doesn’t have any detectable residues, and the other 1/2, 99.5% of the time is below the MRL, which is far below the acceptable daily intake, which is far below the no-observable adverse risk level. Presence ≠ risk. The dose makes the poison, as it does with botox, as it does with the axe, as it does with pesticides.

Questions class?

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