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‘Truly Frightening’: Pesticides Sprayed on Food Crops Increasingly Laced With ‘Forever Chemicals’
Toxic “forever chemicals” are increasingly being used in U.S. pesticides, threatening human health as they contaminate waterways and are sprayed on staple foods, a study said on July 24.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, but environmental regulations against them have mainly paid attention to sources such as industrial facilities, landfills, and consumer products like certain cookware and paints.
New research published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives says that pesticides used on crops including corn, wheat, spinach, apples and strawberries — and other sources such as insect sprays and pet flea treatment — can now be added to the list.
“The more we look, the more we find it,” co-author Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at the non-profit Environmental Working Group, told AFP. “And it just emphasizes the importance of cutting down on sources and really regulating these chemicals.” There is also emerging evidence they may reduce fertility, lead to growth delays in children, and interfere with the body’s natural hormones.
Maine Organic Farming Group Sues EPA Over Forever Chemicals
Portland Press Herald reported:
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association joined a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to regulate the amount of forever chemicals allowed in sewage sludge.
A handful of Maine farms certified as organic by the Unity-based group came forward in 2022 to report their crops and cattle were contaminated by the forever chemicals from sewage sludge fertilizer spread on their fields or neighboring fields, or used by their hay suppliers.
“MOFGA has had to divert significant staff time and financial resources to assisting farmers dealing with PFAS contamination from land-applied sewage sludge,” the lawsuit alleges. “The organization responded with nearly all staff hands on deck to provide affected farmers.”
MOFGA is the country’s biggest state organic farming group. It created a PFAS Emergency Relief Fund that has handed out more than $1.5 million in direct support to more than 50 affected farm families. Seven MOFGA-certified operations had to pause sales due to the severity of PFAS contamination, and two had to shut down entirely.
Avian Flu Infects Two More Colorado Poultry Cullers, One at Second Farm
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) today reported that another worker culling poultry at a second large layer farm tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza in preliminary tests, just days after it reported another case at the first farm, raising the total number to seven.
Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed initial positive results for H5N1 in two of Colorado’s recent cases, detailed genetic sequencing findings from a sample from a sick Colorado poultry culler, and reported preliminary results from a seroprevalence study in Michigan farm workers.
The virus primarily has avian genetic characteristics and doesn’t have changes that increase its ability to infect or spread among humans. It has the same PB2 M631L mammalian adaptation marker seen in nearly all dairy cow sequences and in Michigan’s first human case. It did not have the PB2 E627K mutation — linked in the past to adaptation in mammals — that was seen in an earlier human case from Texas.
Faster, Higher, Stronger … and Healthier: Chicken Nuggets off Menu at Paris 2024
It’s enough to make Usain Bolt wake up in a cold sweat. Chicken nuggets are off the menu at Paris 2024 with Olympians instead being served Michelin-starred dishes and plant-based meat alternatives in the athletes’ village.
Dishes on offer include croissant, poached egg, artichoke cream, and shavings of sheep’s cheese topped with truffle, which the two-starred Michelin chef Amandine Chaignot suggests should be eaten by hand.
According to Philipp Würz, Paris 2024’s head of food, around 1,200 Michelin-starred meals will be served a day out of 40,000 overall. He also confirmed that around 30% of the menu at the Games would also be plant-based, with soya-based nuggets offered as an alternative.
Würz admitted that French organizers were keen to raise standards after he read that 20% of athletes’ meals during the London Olympics were consumed at McDonald’s. “It’s a much healthier menu now,” he said. “With no McDonald’s, no chicken nuggets, and more healthy food.”
Why Is It so Hard to Get Ultra-Processed Foods out of Our Diets? A Lack of Time
Ding. The microwave beeped. I grabbed the bowl of bright orange macaroni and cheese and slid it in front of my daughter, alongside an apple and milk, before dashing back to my laptop. My seven-year-old was home sick, and I was frantically attempting the hazardous maneuver all too familiar to post-pandemic parents: working while parenting. As I logged into Zoom, I wondered what my nutrition colleagues would think if they knew that down the hall, my kiddo was eating the verboten: ultra-processed food.
Ultra-processed foods, industrialized food substances that are often high in calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fat, are highly prevalent in the US food supply. Today, over 60% of American food purchases are composed of ultra-processed products. Scientists are still studying how these chemically manipulated foods affect the body and whether it’s because of their poor nutrient profile, addictive qualities, the use of additives or changes to the food matrix, which affect how we eat and digest them. However, a large body of research has already linked ultra-processed foods to health concerns, including mental health issues, weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
If these foods are so bad, why am I feeding them to my kids? It’s simple: time. Scholars, advocates and policymakers have not fully acknowledged time scarcity, or lack of time, as one of the major drivers of ultra-processed food consumption. This time crunch forces people to rely on ultra-processed foods that are ready to heat or ready to eat to buy back time. Also unacknowledged: this time scarcity is disproportionately an issue faced by women, who remain the primary food shoppers and preparers across the globe.
