Are pesticides on fruits and vegetables dangerous?

Are you going to eat healthy in the coming days after all those holidays? Pesticides can stick to and penetrate the fruit as well. Is this dangerous and can you do something about it?

During agriculture, pesticides are used on different types of fruits and vegetables to protect crops; Against insects and against the weather, for example. Moreover, the apple will have a long journey before it ends up in the fruit bowl. So it's important to be you The greens Wash it well before eating it.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. but? But what about pesticides on fruit? Is washing the agricultural poison found on it beneficial? says food safety expert at the Nutrition Center Wieke van der Vossen Daily questions no. Washing fruits and vegetables is always a good idea, because of the potential for bacteria and viruses, but you can't simply wash away pesticides. They are made in such a way that they adhere well to the fruit: they must also be able to withstand rainfall. Sometimes it penetrates the peel into the fruit.

Food watchdog Foodwatch is particularly concerned about pesticides which, according to the organisation, can consistently be found in non-organic fruit. Mandarins, oranges, grapes and strawberries were the most contaminated. Kiwi at least,” according to the 2021 Foodwatch Census. Birds morning reported that very high concentrations of one or more pesticides have been found on apples, oranges and table grapes. According to Foodwatch, little action has been taken, partly because producers lack a basis for this and “tightened health standards are not translated quickly enough into new legal standards.”

You can choose to buy as many organic products as possible. These are according to Box It is also sprayed but natural products are used for this purpose. Think of copper and sulfur. It is also best to rinse organically grown produce before eating it. You can rinse it under the tap with water. According to the Nutrition Center, using soap, vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaning products is not necessary.

“There is very strict legislation when it comes to pesticides,” says van der Vossen. “In Europe, limits have been agreed upon on the limits that pesticide residues can be left on fruits and vegetables. Fortunately we see in all analyzes that almost all fruits and vegetables meet this requirement. To prevent you from eating too much residue, the law sets the maximum amount of each pesticide that may remain On fruits and vegetables, he said that the possibility of such residues posing a danger to your health is very small Box. So you can eat fruits and vegetables with peace of mind.