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

[Guest guest]

> PANUPS <panups

> PANUPS: Research Dispels Myth of U.S. Food

> as Safest and Cheapest

> Fri, 09 Jul 2004 17:40:35 -0700

>

> ===========================================

> P A N U P S

> Pesticide Action Network Updates Service

> ===========================================

>

> 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. population.

>

> 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.

>

>

> Contact: PANNA

>

> PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing

> resource guides and reporting on pesticide issues

> that don't always get coverage by the mainstream

> media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network

> North America, a non-profit and non-governmental

> organization working to advance sustainable

> alternatives to pesticides worldwide.

>

> You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations

> for our work and all contributions are tax

> deductible in the United States. Visit

> http://www.panna.org/donate.

>

> ===========================================

> Back issues of PANUPS are available online at:

> http://panups.c.topica.com/maacqZ3aa8ivNa6pTC3b/

>

> Please note: responses to this message will not be

> read.

> To comment, send an email to:

> panna

>

> To , send a blank email to:

> PANUPS-

>

> Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)

> 49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102

> USA

> Phone: (415) 981-1771

> Fax: (415) 981-1991

> Email: panna

> Web:

> http://panups.c.topica.com/maacqZ3aa8ivOa6pTC3b/

>

>

====================================================================