Despite recent and repeated calls by scientists and nutritionists to increase efforts to improve consumption, activist groups have created and promoted new webpages and infographics designed to raise fears among consumers about the safety of the more affordable and accessible fruits and vegetables.

These groups continue to ignore peer reviewed research which has shown these tactics don’t just negatively impact consumers’ purchasing decisions regarding conventionally grown produce – consumer reluctance also includes purchasing of organic produce as well.  In other words, the work of these activists isn’t meeting their goal of driving consumers toward organics and may be driving them away from produce altogether.  How crazy is this?

Let’s review just some of the study findings which have been released during the time these groups chose to create and promote new fear-based content:

• “Prescriptions” for healthy foods could save more than $100 billion in healthcare costs.  The healthy foods included fruits and veggies plus seafood, whole grains and plant oils. Study concluded:  “These new findings support the concept of ‘Food is Medicine.’”
• Eating and drinking better, including increasing consumption of fruits and veggies, could prevent one in five deaths around the world. Study concluded: “Our findings show that suboptimal diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risks globally, including tobacco smoking, highlighting the urgent need for improving human diet across nations.”
• Low fruit and veggie consumption resulted in an estimated three million deaths from heart disease or stroke.“Our findings indicate the need for population-based efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption throughout the world.”
• Carrots, celery, oranges, grapes, and cabbage are among plant-based foods that have the largest number of anti-cancer molecules. Study concluded: “Our large scale computational analysis further demonstrates more cancer-beating potential of certain foods calling for more tailored nutritional strategies.”

These studies support decades of research showing the significant health benefits of eating more fruits and veggies each day – most of this research was conducted using conventionally grown produce.  It seems unbelievable that activists would continue perpetuating myths and misinformation about produce safety which creates an additional barrier to consumption of these nutrient-dense foods.

Why doesn’t this stop, especially when only one in 10 of us eats enough fruits and veggies each day? Someone should ask them.

Read, learn, choose but eat more organic and conventional produce every day for better health and a longer life.