Pesticides and Children

Recent stories about the National Academy of Science’s report, “Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children,” should not alarm parents and consumers needlessly. Remember that the NAS, anti-pesticide groups and farmers recommend that kids should be encouraged to eat more, not fewer, fruits and vegetables.

California farmers and growers are the most heavily regulated in the nation. We also have spent millions of our own dollars to work on integrated pest management while supporting improvements in the state’s regulatory system. We agree that health should be a principal concern in food production, but that risk should be considered too.

The NAS report has given new ammunition to the anti-pesticide lobby in its attempt to eliminate pesticide use altogether. If successful, imagine the quality of your fruits and vegetables at the market. If we could not use pesticides, our yields would be reduced and the price of the product would increase. When poor families cannot afford fruits and vegetables for their children’s diets, the long-term health of the child is endangered.

I hope consumers review the literature and use common sense in buying food. Wash your fruits and vegetables, and be assured that residual pesticides pose almost no threat at all to your family in California.

ALAN REYNOLDS

President, Orange County Farm Bureau