Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
University of Massachusetts
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It's a challenge to feed children healthy food that they like.
Fruits and vegetables are colorful, crunchy, and tasty ways for
children to get vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber in their diets.
These nutrients can help lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Yet, many people today are concerned about pesticides in foods
and the increased risk to health that they may pose.
Pesticides are used to prevent pest damage and loss of crop. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on the amount
of pesticide that can be used on crops. These limits are based
on how toxic
the pesticide is, how much is left on the crop (the residue),
and how much of the crop a person eats. Then, a safety factor
of 100 times the amount deemed to be safe is built in to the level
allowed. But because there is
great variation in how plants respond to pesticides, weather,
and growing conditions, as well as the food people eat, scientists
at EPA must use many assumptions to set these pesticide limits.
Children eat more food relative to their body weight than do adults.
Children may also handle pesticides differently from adults. This
may result in health risks from pesticides that are lower or higher
than for
adults. The EPA takes these differences into account when making
assumptions and setting limits on pesticide use. A recent report
from the National Academy of Sciences recommends changes in some
of the assumptions made and calls for better information about
residues in food and how much children eat.
Most fruits and vegetables consumed by children have no pesticide
residues or have residues hundreds of times below the level allowed.
Studies have not been able to link the small amounts of residues
that are present in produce with any risk of cancer. The American
Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dietetic Association, and
the National Cancer Institute all recommend that children increase
the number of fruits and vegetables in their diets. The benefits
of lowering heart disease and cancer are far greater than the
risks.
There are some things parents can do to reduce the risk of pesticide
residues in children's diets:
1. CHOOSE A VARIETY OF FOODS. This will ensure a balanced diet,
as well as lower the chance of problems from any one type of food.
2. CHOOSE PRODUCE THAT IS FREE FROM MOLD, BRUISES, AND DECAY.
3. WASH PRODUCE IN WATER AND PEEL SKIN OR OUTER LEAVES.
4. GROW YOUR OWN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. This gives you more control
over your food, as well as being a great activity you can do with
kids.
5. KNOW YOUR GROWER. Talk to your farmer at the farmer's market,
farm stand, or pick-your-own farm. It's a fun way for you and
your children to learn more about the foods you eat.