Contact: Melissa Haynes, EWG: (202) 667-6982
Play 'Pesticide Roulette' at www.foodnews.org
WASHINGTON -- What's for lunch? Whether you eat a hamburger, a salad or simply a piece of fruit, you're probably eating something you didn't plan on: an unknown dose of toxic pesticides.
But now, for the first time, you can go online to instantly find out what pesticides are on the foods you eat, feed your children, and buy at the grocery store. Then you can follow simple tips for reducing your intake of pesticides -- just like you cut back on calories, fat or cholesterol.
A new, interactive Web site, www.foodnews.org, allows users to discover what pesticides they consume on a daily basis, and what the potential health effects are. The site was developed by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG), known for its computer-powered research on pesticides and other environmental issues.
"When our internal analyses showed that people might eat 20 or more bug killers or other pesticides in their meals every day, we knew we had to make the information available to consumers," said EWG President Ken Cook. "Despite repeated promises, the government is simply not acting to protect children or anyone else from these toxic chemicals. Consumers have to protect themselves."
By clicking through a menu of hundreds of foods, visitors to www.foodnews.org can tap into EWG's powerful search engine that randomly matches a food selection against more than 90,000 government lab test results for pesticides in food. Digital diners will have the following options:
Daily Fare. Select breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack from among more than
150 foods and dishes. Or just pick a peach or an apple. You'll be amazed at
how many pesticides you eat in the course of a day.
Kids' Menu. Find out which pesticides are in foods children commonly eat, including
processed baby foods. And check to see if your child's diet exceeded government
safety standards for pesticides that harm the
The EWG Supermarket. Pop in for a few items or wander the aisles and fill your
shopping cart, from pastas to veggies to seafood. We'll tell you which pesticides
you brought home in your grocery bags, and what their health risks are.
Fruit Salad Roulette. Mix a bowl from more than 20 fruits and find out how many
pesticides you ate.
Previous EWG research has shown that every day hundreds of thousands of children under age 5 are already exceeding government safe levels for pesticides that affect the nervous system. Other pesticide residues generally are at levels that are "legal" now, but probably will be deemed unsafe if the government overcomes chemical company pressures and takes action to protect children under a 1996 pesticide reform law (the landmark Food Quality protection Act).
In addition to being a great source of information, www.foodnews.org also will help consumers take action. With direct e-mail links, consumers can voice their concerned directly to supermarket chains, food companies, and Washington officials, including Vice President Al Gore.
"The government has heard plenty from pesticide companies, but not enough from parents," said EWG's Cook. "It will only take a minute for consumers to send a powerful message that they want dangerous pesticides out of their favorite foods. That minute will make a huge difference to food companies and politicians who are sensitive to consumer concerns."
Bill Walker, California Director
Environmental Working Group
P.O. Box 29201 * The Presidio
San Francisco, CA 94129
Tel. (415) 561-6698 * Fax (415) 561-6696
www.ewg.org