Everybody loves strawberries. At least everybody I know. They’re an absolute favorite food in our house. Luckily, we are fortunate enough to have access to, and can afford organic strawberries. For those who are not so lucky, sadly, the dangers are many. First and foremost, a toxic pesticide called methyl iodide is used to grow our favorite berry, and according to John Froines of UCLA, it is “one of the most toxic chemicals on earth.”
Methyl idiodide is a gas pesticide that is injected into soil, it is not on our actual berries. The problem? Methyl iodide is:
- highly toxic and reactive
- a well known carcinogen
- linked to late term miscarriages
- a source of ground water and soil contamination
- able to contaminate neighboring properties via pesticide drift
- especially toxic to workers in the fields
Do people really need to be poisoned so that I can have strawberries for dessert? I say no. Thinking of a corporation touching nature’s bounty is most disturbing indeed, which is why I am begging Arysta (the largest pesticide company in the world) to: keep your hands off our strawberries! Since this company is in the business of selling poison, I highly doubt they will listen to my plea.
Thankfully, one of my favorite organizations, PAN, has come to the rescue, filing a petition with the EPA to ban the use of this scary pesticide nationwide. EPA is considering public comment until April 30th. What can you do? Just head over to PAN’s website and sign the online petition. This chemical is too toxic to be used safely as a soil fumigant pesticide, and has no place in our country’s agriculture.
By the way, conventionally grown strawberries come with a mouth watering dose of 53 additional pesticides. However, you can take heart in the fact that there are many amazing companies such as Swanton Farms that are doing it right –growing beautiful strawberries without ANY chemical assistance from corporate America.
We grow strawberries in our sunny front yard. The stunning photo above (taken by the incredible Annabelle Breakey) is from my forthcoming book Gluten-Free Cupcakes (coming out in less than 3 weeks –um, not sure what they’re thinking, but it’s on sale for pre-order for only $9.03 right now). Most importantly though, remember to protect nature’s bounty by protecting our strawberries!
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Kristin says
Thank you! I refuse to buy any berries unless they are organic for this very reason! My children get so upset with me sometimes because they love berries. Organic berries are getting harder and harder to find….such a sad situation! Plus they are very expensive! I have a small strawberry patch. My children look forward to picking and eatting our own strawberries every summer! Your strawberry cupcake looks
absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Linda says
If you wash the strawberries with a good veggie wash(that is supposed to remove residue and pesticides), would the non organic strawberry then be safe to consume?
Alta says
Here is my two cents on that. For one, I’m sure the wash will take care of SOME of the pesticides, but what if those chemicals grow into the actual strawberry? How much pesticide is really OKAY in your body? For me, the closer to ZERO, the better! Two, those pesticides make it so the strawberry plant doesn’t have to “fend for itself”, so to speak, so it’s less likely to make antioxidants and other good-for-you stuff. Three, continuing to buy conventional produce just gives the conventional growers more money. Vote with your dollar – give your money to those people who work hard to provide safe, organic, pesticide-free foods for us. Take the money away from those conventional growers, and they’ll start to get the message.
Please keep in mind that I’m just a consumer, so these are just my opinions. Personally, I think you’re safer to get the organic strawberries (or try to grow your own, even!)
Iris says
Thank you for sharing this with us! I just signed the petition! It’s really scary all we don’t know about how our food is grown…
Ellen @Gluten Free Diva says
Where to start? I think I’ll begin on a positive note. I cannot wait to begin baking from your new cupcake cookbook. If the picture above (fabulous picture) is any indication, the book will be a sure-fire winner. No surprise – your first cookbook is a winner! You have really turned my gluten free baking into a whole other endeavor. I’m going through so much Honeyville Almond Flour that I should buy stock in the company:).
Second, the news about the toxic chemicals in conventional strawberries is terribly distressing. I no longer eat conventional strawberries – haven’t for years – but when I think of all the years I DID eat them, it just pains me. And pisses me off, too. I just saw the movie “Michael Clayton” – about a lawyer who fights a big company who tried to cover up how they poisoned 450+ family farms with their chemicals. It’s probably happening a lot more than we even know. As one of your readers suggested, let’s write to our elected officials – let’s not just sit back and let it happen.
Thank you for your wake up call. And thank you for sharing the picture. I’m going to Amazon right this minute and ordering a whole slew of them for gifts. The price is unbelievable!!!
cj says
Thank you so much for sharing that! I do remember reading a little about it last December and had made a mental note to buy organic but haven’t been. I will not start buying organic and just not having them as often as I’d like! I shared the petition link on FB too after I signed it myself! That cupcake looks mouth-watering!
Marcella says
wow! signed :)
Tracy Deakyne says
Thanks so much for bringing attention to this, Elana! I’ve just planted 25 more plants and I’m hopeful we will get a decent harvest this year so as not to buy many except through our organic food co-op. Your cookbook looks wonderful!Beautiful pictures! Tracy
Karen says
Hey Elana!
You know I love your first book and I’m anticipating the second will be just as wonderful. Can’t wait!
Meanwhile…thank you for the link to the petition. We need to get this out to more people. I posted the link on my FB page… We so need to protect our food supplies!
Stephanie says
Wow, what a wake-up call. Thank you so much for sharing. I sometimes find it hard to balance what I know and believe about farming practices with the “now, now, now” feeling that I get in the grocery store. I KNOW that I want to buy organic for a thousand different reasons – for my own health, for the soil, for social justice. But sometimes I see those conventional strawberries in the grocery store – big, red, juicy – and I just WANT them. This information will help me say no to my inner 2-year-old.
Kayla @ Fitter Than Choc says
Oh no. This is bad news. I love strawberries. I have always known that strawberries are loaded with pesticides, but I didn’t know that they are that bad. It seems like I’d have to start buying organic strawberries soon. Your new book sounds really exciting!
Irene says
I didn’t know either, it’s on the top 10 list of foods you SHOULD buy organic.. now I know why! I wonder if we have any local farms that I could buy from.