An annual report titled the “dirty dozen” was released Feb. 25 concerning pesticide residues and produce. However, the group releasing this report recently called conventionally grown fruits and veggies “best” foods for consumers and strongly urged increased consumption of these healthy foods. 

“This group continually issues confusing and conflicting information targeted toward consumers,” Marilyn Dolan, executive director of the Alliance for Food & Farming, said in a press release. “One day they are calling safe and healthy produce ‘dirty’ and ‘toxic laden’ and the next they are stating they are ‘best’ foods. This simply isn’t helpful and studies are beginning to show this type of conflicting information may be having a negative effect on consumers.”

Recently, a new peer-reviewed study conducted by the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future found that conflicting messaging on food safety and nutrition may be having a detrimental effect on the dietary choices of consumers, especially those with lower incomes. 

Researchers involved in the study recommended that “those who want to improve food production techniques and those who want to improve nutrition cooperate to create consistent messaging about healthy eating” for the benefit of consumers.

The so-called “dirty dozen” list has also been largely discredited by the scientific community, according to Dolan, who said, “Before using or promoting this list or covering today’s list release, we ask concerned consumers and the media to review some of the peer-reviewed studies and government reports that can provide a scientific perspective about pesticide residues. These include the following:

• USDA Pesticide Data Program report released in December — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food & Drug Administration concluded that “residues do not pose a food safety concern.”
• Journal of Toxicology, a peer-reviewed paper that examined the methodology used to develop this ‘dirty dozen’ list, concluded that no established scientific procedures were followed in the development of the list and the recommended substitutions of organic for conventional forms of produce did not reduce risk.
• Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health issued a peer-reviewed study that showed that people who ate seven or more servings of produce per day reduced their risk of premature death by 42 percent. Consuming that many servings reduced the risk of death from cancer by 25 percent and heart disease by 31 percent. 
• Journal of Food & Chemical Toxicology published a peer-reviewed paper that found that if Americans increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables by a single serving, over 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented annually. This study was conducted assuming all servings were of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

The AFF launched the safefruitsandveggies.com website in 2010 to provide science-based information about the safety of organic and conventional produce. 

“Consumers deserve truthful, credible information about the safety of their foods so they can make the right shopping choices for their families,” Dolan said. “We believe that facts, not fear, should guide those choices.”

She added, “Our message mirrors that of health experts everywhere: Eat more organic and conventional fruits and veggies every day for better health and a longer life.”

That sentiment was echoed by the U.S. Apple Association, which released a statement in response to the EWG’s 2015 “Dirty Dozen” list.

“Any report that tells people not to eat apples is just silly and giving potentially harmful advice,” said Jim Bair, president and chief executive officer of USApple. “Consumers would be smart to simply follow the advice of the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which all say eat more fruit.”