I am a strong believer in organic foods. And not only because I think they are better for you to eat. It is just as important that organics are also better for farmworkers and the Earth.

A new report from Consumer Reports (which I trust without reservation) says:

The reliance on toxic pesticides to produce food is neither safe nor sustainable…. Given the growing body of scientific evidence pointing to harm, we believe that the costs are too high and do not justify the short-term benefits of controlling pests with toxic chemicals.

Consumer Reports recommends buying organic produce whenever possible— not at the expense of not eating fruits and vegetables if you can’t get it or afford it, but as much as possible– and if you can afford it, it is worth the extra cost, especially for certain “high-risk” items.

The risk from pesticides in produce grown conventionally varies from very low to very high, depending on the type of produce and on the country where it’s grown. The differences can be dramatic. For instance, eating one serving of green beans from the U.S. is 200 times riskier than eating a serving of U.S.-grown broccoli. This is especially important for children.

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