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Press Release |
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Washington, D.C.--Consumers Union strongly criticized the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to give consumers
even the most basic information about pesticides in food in a
consumer-right-to-know brochure release by the agency today.
"This brochure is a lost opportunity for the EPA and the
Clinton/Gore Administration to extend their commitment to informing
consumers about toxic hazards in their environments to the most
fundamental level-pesticide residues in the food they feed their
families," said Jeannine Kenney, a policy analyst at Consumers
Union's Washington D.C. Office. "Instead of telling consumers that
pesticides are toxic poisons, that they are found on many foods, and
that some foods contain multiple pesticides, this brochure fails to
provide consumers with even the most basic understanding of what
pesticides are and what risks they pose."
Chemical and food industry organizations had urged EPA to remove
references to the harmful effects of pesticides and to omit a
recommendation that consumers who wish to avoid pesticides in food
can buy organically grown produce from prior drafts of the brochure.
The final draft of the brochure removed references to the specific
health hazards of pesticides and omitted the recommendation that
consumers buy organic food.
The pesticide brochure was required under a new pesticide safety
law, The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, which requires EPA to
modernize pesticide regulation to ensure pesticides are safe for
infants and children.
"The brochure is also badly misleading because it suggests that
EPA is protecting consumers, particularly infants and children, from
the harmful effects of pesticides," Kenney said. "In fact, that won't
be true until the new pesticide safety law has been implemented. More
than two years since that law has been enacted EPA is still not
protecting kids from the pesticides in their diets, in part because
of pressure from the chemical industry to delay any action to reduce
pesticide risk."
Consumer Reports, the flagship of Consumers Union, will release a new report next Thursday at a New York City based press conference. The report finds excessive pesticide levels on some fruits and vegetables. The report evaluates pesticide residues found on the foods children eat most and will provide consumers with recommendations on how to minimize their pesticide exposure.
