This summer Ecologists in Action released its report “Direct to your hormones. Guide to disruptive foods”, in which it was revealed that the Spanish population is exposed to a high number of pesticides through their diet.
HestudyIt measured the presence of pesticides and endocrine disrupting pesticides found in food products marketed in Spain, and found 34% of samples analyzed with pesticide residues, with an increase to 41.69% in the case of fruits and vegetables.
In the data for 2017 published by Eurostat, our country was revealed as the main consumer of pesticides in Europe, with the marketing of 71,987 tons of pesticides. Starting from this point, the Ecologistas en Acción report breaks down the data on pesticide residues corresponding to 2018 present in the foods we eat with the intention of offering transparent information to consumers and promoting consumption alternatives as well as greater control by the authorities to protect our health.
Although pesticide residues are concentrated mainly in fruits and vegetables, numerous researchers around the world have found that some persistent pesticides are concentrated in the milk and meat of farm animals that reach them through feeding contaminated products. .
What do you say to the WHO about it?
This international organization warns that pesticides are also potentially toxic to humans and that they can have harmful effects on health and be related to some types of cancer or have consequences on people's immune, reproductive and nervous systems.
Thus, they also establish, through the identification of dangers and risk assessment, a safe level of intake, with maximum limits that must not be exceeded. However, the report published by Ecologistas en Acción has detected that 2.1% of the samples analyzed exceeded this maximum limit, in addition to revealing that at least 62% of the quantity in kilos of pesticides for which data is available public were not subject to the pesticide residue control program in food.
What can we do in this situation?
Without a doubt, the best option is a determined commitment toorganic agriculture and livestock, freeing the sector from dependence on pesticides and betting on more natural and healthy products for consumers.
In your report'Straight to your hormones'includes recommendations for citizens so that they can avoid the consumption of pesticides and enjoy a healthy diet. As? Betting on organic, local and seasonal products, avoiding products of industrial origin and betting on a more natural diet with fewer ultra-processed products.
