Re: Agricheck produce

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/2/2005 7:02:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

ynos@... writes:

[]

<thequeen@c...> wrote:

> There is a local grocery store chain here, known for its high

> quality and excellent service, which advertises its produce a

> " agricheck certified " , meaning that it has been tested and does

> not have detected pesticide residues above 0.05 parts per million

> (I think that's it).

[Chi]

Any pesticide residue means they used pesticides on

the crop.

______

[Chris]

It seems like the precision of the testing was such that if they found

nothing they could only certify it as below 0.05 ppm. In other words,

certification that no levels have been found above that might not mean that any

pesticides were found.

Chris

[Guest guest]

From: Canfield

Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 10:43 AM

Subject: Agricheck produce

There is a local grocery store chain here, known for its high quality and

excellent service, which advertises its produce a " agricheck certified " , meaning

that it has been tested and does not have detected pesticide residues above 0.05

parts per million (I think that's it).

Hi ,

I don't really know anything about the " agricheck certified " produce, but I

would say that the absence of pesticides is only one of the benefits of organic

produce. Other benefits may include increased nutrient value of the produce, if

the soil is managed properly. Proper soil management is one of the

philosophical tenets of organic (especially small-scale organic) agriculture.

Also, being mindful of possible environmental pollution with excess nutrients is

supposed be a concern of organic producers. So, I guess what I'm trying to say

is that " agricheck certified " seems to only give a small amount of information

about how the food was produced, but I guess it is still better than

conventional, grocery store produce. But, if you have local small farmers at

your market you should ask them about their growing practices. You might find

some of them produce quality produce even without being " certified organic " ,

since the certification process is a bit tedious and costly, and growers cannot

use the word " organic " , even if they grow that way, unless they are certified

(this may vary a bit from state to state).

Vivian

[Guest guest]

> There is a local grocery store chain here, known for its high

> quality and excellent service, which advertises its produce a

> " agricheck certified " , meaning that it has been tested and does

> not have detected pesticide residues above 0.05 parts per million

> (I think that's it). My question is, is this a laudable condition,

> or are the numbers meaningless? I was wondering, if I was not

> able to find something at the local (quite small) farmer's market

> or in the organic section, whether buying something from

> their agricheck produce was a good substitute.

Hi :

No, that's not a laudable condition. If they have used pesticides on

the crops, that indicates the crops were of low nutritional value in

the first place. Any pesticide residue means they used pesticides on

the crop. Use of pesticides to save the crop is done in the

financial interest of the grower, not in the interest of the

consumer. What would be laudable would be for the store to advertise

that the crops they sell required no protection from insects because

they were so healthy that insects, even when introduced into the

field, failed to attack the crops. If you are interested in

nutrition, it pays to worry more about what nutrition isn't in the

food, rather than whether insecticides are present or absent.

Chi