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McDonald's Aims for a Low-Pesticide Potato for Its French Fries
Potatoes have been on or near the list of the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen foods with the most pesticide residue for years. That means, according to a government analysis, that after a typical person buys a typical potato and prepares it in a typical way, it's among the fruits and vegetables most likely to be laced with pesticides. (The government regulates pesticide residue, so any chemical left on food is deemed to pose no health risk; that said, pesticides are designed to kill something -- a bug, worm, fungus or weed -- and most people don't like the idea of taking each meal with a little drop of poison.)
Most of these pesticides are linked to serious chronic effects such as cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive/developmental effects. Many leach to groundwater and contaminate surface waters. Intensive potato cultivation and pesticides usage have been implicated in the high rates of rare cancers in young children in rural western Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. The island farming community of about 14,000 has experienced occurrences of osteosarcoma, several lymphomas, Ewing’s sarcoma, and a number of myeloid leukemia cases, all among children."
Everyone should think twice before eating anything from McDonald's. All of their food is terrible for you.
Absoulutely. Don't touch the stuff myself, but since I'm sure that many people do allow their kids to ingest this stuff, I figured I should at least put the word out. I'm also quite sure that there will be posters defending MacDonald's and telling me that I am attempting to "indcotrinate" their kids into rejecting bug spray snacks.
I'm also quite sure that there will be posters defending MacDonald's and telling me that I am attempting to "indcotrinate" their kids into rejecting bug spray snacks.
I am not defending McDonald's, but what are you talking about? Potatoes, in general, suffer from high pesticide use. McDonald's is going to start buying potatoes with less pesticides. That is going to put pressure on entire potato market to reduce pesticides.
Mc Maimald's. First they supersize people, now they expose people to cancer.
McDonalds has been serving their fries for many, many years. If there was ANY danger of getting sick from them, surely we would have seen a significant number of cases by now.
So tell me: How many people have become sick (including the cancer you say they're getting) from eating McDonalds fries, in the last 30 or so years?
I actually read that about potatoes last week. Also that potato farmers won't eat what they sell to the public. They often have their own garden, pesticide free, for their families.
McDonalds has been serving their fries for many, many years. If there was ANY danger of getting sick from them, surely we would have seen a significant number of cases by now.
So tell me: How many people have become sick (including the cancer you say they're getting) from eating McDonalds fries, in the last 30 or so years?
McDonald's Aims for a Low-Pesticide Potato for Its French Fries
Potatoes have been on or near the list of the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen foods with the most pesticide residue for years. That means, according to a government analysis, that after a typical person buys a typical potato and prepares it in a typical way, it's among the fruits and vegetables most likely to be laced with pesticides. (The government regulates pesticide residue, so any chemical left on food is deemed to pose no health risk; that said, pesticides are designed to kill something -- a bug, worm, fungus or weed -- and most people don't like the idea of taking each meal with a little drop of poison.)
Most of these pesticides are linked to serious chronic effects such as cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive/developmental effects. Many leach to groundwater and contaminate surface waters. Intensive potato cultivation and pesticides usage have been implicated in the high rates of rare cancers in young children in rural western Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. The island farming community of about 14,000 has experienced occurrences of osteosarcoma, several lymphomas, Ewing’s sarcoma, and a number of myeloid leukemia cases, all among children."
I don't know if McDonald's has addressed this yet, but it is worth looking into.
Since potatoes grow underground, and therefore do not come in contact with any pesticides that might be used to control pests that attack the leaves (actually, there aren't many pests that bother potatoes, in my experience, except for soil borne diseases), I can't imagine that there could be much of a threat.
We grow our own potatoes. I use very little of anything. Seven maybe once or twice during the season to control things that eat the leaves, but Sevin is a relatively safe pesticide.
One must realize that a lot of what is out there to read is from people who just plain hate McDonald's, and they have no scientific evidence for their claims.
Personally, I think McDonald's fries are much improved over what they were a few years ago. And, in the seventies, McDonald's had a reputation for being one of the most nutritious of "fast foods".
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