Most people in the UK are eating too little fibre as well as too few fruits and vegetables. Dietary fibre is vitally important because it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer – while boosting the health of our gut microbiome and brain.
According to recent analysis by Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, diets high in sodium, low in whole grains and fruits are the main dietary risks for cardiovascular disease. Whole grains contain B vitamins, folic acid, omega-3 fats, protein, antioxidants, and micronutrients. This is why plenty of whole wheat bread, cereals, and porridge oats is recommended.
Unfortunately, unless these whole grains are organic, they are likely to be contaminated with the toxic weed-killer glyphosate. Pre-harvest glyphosate applications are used to speed up crop ripening to facilitate early harvesting. This results in contamination of the outer part of the grain, including the bran, which contains the fibre. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. This means that unless you can find organic whole-wheat bread in your supermarket, it may be safer to eat white bread.
On top of that, many of the fruits and vegetables that we are advised to eat are treated with fungicides and pesticides which are harmful to human health.
Most pesticides cannot be washed off
The chemical classes of pesticides that farmers use depend on the types of pests and diseases that are likely to attack the crop: fungi, insects, nematodes, or weeds. Some pesticides are sprayed on upper plant parts, including leaves, flowers, and fruits, and can be washed off. However most pesticides are systemic, which means they move up within the plant as it grows and end up inside the roots, tubers, leaves, flowers, and fruits. These cannot be removed by washing.
Over-use of pesticides is evident in more than 50% of UK soils and is now the biggest cause of soil pollution both in the UK and across Europe. Long term exposure to pesticides and their residues is linked to a range of diseases, including Parkinson’s disease; asthma; depression and anxiety; attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and cancer, including leukaemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The Cocktail Effect
Some fruits and vegetables are treated with more than one pesticide, producing a Cocktail Effect which is potentially more harmful to consumers. According to a study of the UK government’s own data by PAN UK and the Soil Association:
- over a third of all the fruit and vegetables tested contained residues of more than one pesticide;
- 87.5% of the pears contained pesticide cocktails;
- 55% of raspberries were found to contain multiple pesticides, including endocrine disrupters and possible carcinogens; and
- multiple residues were found in more than three-quarters of grapes, with one sample containing traces of fourteen different pesticides.
Forever chemicals
Even more worrying is the fact that an increasing number of pesticides contain per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as additives to improve their effectiveness, in terms of bonding to foliage. PFAS are ‘forever chemicals’ that are associated with cancer, liver and thyroid problems, reproductive harm, high cholesterol, and impaired immunity.
Recent results from the UK government’s residue testing programme found that 10 different PFAS pesticides were present in spices and a range of fruit and vegetables including grapes, cherries, spinach, and tomatoes. Strawberries were found to be the worst offenders, with 95% of the 120 samples tested by the government in 2022, containing PFAS pesticides.
This problem isn’t confined to the UK and USA, it is also common in other European countries such as Italy, that export fruit and vegetables to the UK. The percentage of fruit and vegetables containing PFAS pesticide residues in the EU more than tripled over the decade 2011-2021, with a growth rate of 220% for fruit and 247% for vegetables.
Organic farming is part of the EU’s Green Agenda
The only way to be sure of eating food that is not laced with pesticide residues, including PFAS, is to either grow your own fruit and vegetables or buy organic produce. Organic farmers and food processors in the UK and Europe must adhere to strict standards. These standards, which are specific to the mode of production, ban the use of all toxic pesticides and encourage regenerative agriculture. The producers must be certified annually by a competent authority such as the Soil Association, KRAV, ECOCERT, or the Scottish Organic Producers Association. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements states that standards should also include the principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care for the environment.
Cutting emissions and increasing biodiversity is part of the EU’s green agenda, so the European Commission has set a target of “at least 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030”. Austrian farmers have already reached this mark because of high consumer awareness, backed by the state. In Scotland, agriculture remains the second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and a leading cause of nature loss. The new Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act states that a rural plan “may reduce harm from pesticides” and “optimise the proportion of land which is farmed organically”.
Unfortunately, there are no targets for either pesticide reduction or for the area of land to be covered by organic farms. This is despite the act also stating that Scottish Ministers must “have regard to developments in the law and policy of the European Union”. Sadly, the most recent statistics show that organic farming has been declining in Scotland and covers less than 3% of agricultural land, so it may take many years before Scottish agriculture can align with the European Organic Action Plan.
In the absence of government support, it is left to the public to boost consumer demand for pesticide-free, organic food that is healthier and better for the environment. Please support the organic farm shop or box scheme near you.
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