The welcoming of spring brings many positives such as better weather, flowers and trees in bloom, an even bigger variety of fruits and veggies to enjoy and more daylight hours for outside activities. However, for those of us who work to provide credible food safety information to consumers, it also brings a predictable negative event that requires a corrective response – the annual release of the “dirty dozen” list by the Environmental Working Group. Yes, every spring for the last 20 years EWG puts out this list with its fear-inducing messaging which inaccurately and unfairly calls the more affordable and accessible fruits and veggies “dirty,” “highly contaminated” and “toxic.” Their goal is to push consumers toward organically grown produce, which is also very safe and healthy but not as affordable or as accessible for many consumers as conventionally grown. Read more.
