Careful of toxic Strawberries around Chiang Mai

[mick220675]

Some of the pesticides are very dangerous. Last year after years of using the hand pump sprayers we purchased a petrol sprayer and respiratory filters. The brother in law borrowed the sprayer but refused the respirator. He spent 4 weeks in hospital with nerve damage, unable to see and speak for a week in bed shaking. 

[jak2002003]

On ‎31‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 1:42 PM, elektrified said:

Although not specific to strawberries, there was a research scientist who is an M.D. who studied the effects of pesticides sprayed on the produce grown up in the North of Thailand. He followed the cases of numerous patients in the Chiang Rai area, many of which had thyroid and other cancers. The one thing all the patients had in common was that they did not wash their fruits and veggies in baking soda and then rinsing them prior to consuming them.  We have been following this procedure now for about 6 years.

Sorry, but washing the vegetables fruit in baking soda will have little to no effect in removing pesticides.

 

Pesticides are take up by the growing plant in its root system and are incorporated into the fruits and vegetables flesh.. so can't be washed off.

 

 

 

 

[elektrified]

6 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Sorry, but washing the vegetables fruit in baking soda will have little to no effect in removing pesticides.

 

Pesticides are take up by the growing plant in its root system and are incorporated into the fruits and vegetables flesh.. so can't be washed off.

 

 

 

 

Tell that to the scientists.... It is also the recommendation of the Thai government.

[Awk]

4 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Sorry, but washing the vegetables fruit in baking soda will have little to no effect in removing pesticides.

 

Pesticides are take up by the growing plant in its root system and are incorporated into the fruits and vegetables flesh.. so can't be washed off.

 

 

 

 

A couple times over the years I've tried to google my way to something scientific that backs up that soaking fruit or vegetables in baking soda is helpful in removing pesticides, but I can never find anything.  I am not claiming it does not help, but has anyone seen any articles that validate soaking food in baking soda?

What I have found somewhat trustworthy references to is that scrubbing food by hand for at least 60 seconds under running water will remove most of the pesticides on the surface.  The same tests found that washing fruit and vegetables in various vegetable/fruit "soap" products did not help any more than washing them in water.

 

Washing and scrubbing by hand will obviously not remove pesticides taken up by the growing plant through the water and soil, but is (hopefully) much better than nothing.

 

But if anyone has any references to soaking things in baking soda, please share.

[Awk]

On 2/1/2017 at 10:52 AM, DumbFalang said:

OK - I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and give away 5 boxes of 'safe' Strawberries to the first 5 Thai Visa members who PM me to reserve them for collection at Starbucks in Central Airport between 2pm and 3pm (it's buy one get one free day at Starbucks).

 

 

You can also reserve them if you can collect anywhere on the main roads between Samoeng and Central Airport in the next few hours ;-)

 

 

Looks great.  I did not see this message in time, but perhaps you could tell me where your farm is and at what time one can drop by to purchase a few boxes?  I don't buy strawberries here normally since they don't taste much in my experience, but want to try yours.

 

 

[NancyL]

1 hour ago, Awk said:

A couple times over the years I've tried to google my way to something scientific that backs up that soaking fruit or vegetables in baking soda is helpful in removing pesticides, but I can never find anything.  I am not claiming it does not help, but has anyone seen any articles that validate soaking food in baking soda?

What I have found somewhat trustworthy references to is that scrubbing food by hand for at least 60 seconds under running water will remove most of the pesticides on the surface.  The same tests found that washing fruit and vegetables in various vegetable/fruit "soap" products did not help any more than washing them in water.

 

Washing and scrubbing by hand will obviously not remove pesticides taken up by the growing plant through the water and soil, but is (hopefully) much better than nothing.

 

But if anyone has any references to soaking things in baking soda, please share.

It depends on the pesticide and its "mode of action".  If it's a "contact pesticide", then it works by being present on the surface of the fruit or leaf and coming into contact with the critter or fungus it is meant to kill.  These contact pesticides are fairly easy to wash off with running water and a little elbow grease.  

 

Other pesticides have a "systemic" mode of action and these are the more dangerous ones from the standpoint of the food consumer.  They can be taken up by the roots of the plant or through the surface of the leaves and will remain within the plant.  Many are "locally systemic" and shouldn't be used when a food crop is in the fruiting stage.  By "locally systemic", I mean that the pesticides is taken up through the leaves but doesn't travel far throughout the plant.  If applied before fruit sets, then the fruit won't contain the pesticide.

 

We've seen all kinds used here in Thailand.  And seen products labeled for use on ornamental plants used on fruits and vegetables.  A big no-no.

 

(As I mentioned, Hubby and I had a greenhouse/nursery business in the U.S.  Hubby was registered to buy restricted use pesticides and attended workshops every winter.  We kept up on this stuff -- at least 10 years ago.  What we've seen here in Thailand is appalling -- not so much for us as consumers, but rather for the workers.)

 

 

[jak2002003]

21 hours ago, elektrified said:

Tell that to the scientists.... It is also the recommendation of the Thai government.

What scientists?  Have you some references?

 

Recommendation of the Thai government.... lol. 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 1/31/2017 at 4:52 PM, Trujillo said:

The OP does not state any facts or support his mention of "toxic" pesticides. No names, no labels, no peer-reviewed studies of effect, doses and exposure. 

Guy should work at CNN. 

You should try reading the news a bit more. There have been numerous reports of independent lab testing of all kinds of fruits and veggies grown in Thailand that show excessive pesticide residues, and residues of pesticides that are banned elsewhere in the world -- even on brands that supposedly are organic.

 

Food safety promises are a joke here. You simply can't trust what the labels or stores say about their products. And a lot of times, the health effects of such things are not immediate but long term illnesses and sicknesses.

 

And even in first-world countries, strawberries have the reputation of being among the most pesticide laden among fruits -- perhaps because the fruit is exposed (no skin) and the farmers feel they have to spray more in order to protect them and their ability to sell their product.

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Awk]

8 hours ago, VIBE said:

https://thailandjuicer.com/en/ozone-cleaneren/

 

We bought an ozone generator from the link above and use it to break down the chemical on all our fruits and veggies.

Thanks.  I read some references to that also, but somewhat similar to baking soda, no real tests.  

 

There were plenty of warnings about how harmful ozone is and how such units should, if used, only be used outside however, to reduce the risk of increasing the level of ozone inside to levels that are much more harmful than the pesticide one wants to remove.  Ideally no ozone leaks out of these units, but who knows.  It also seems to be unknown whether the ozone generators leave toxic waste products in the food they process.

 

See e.g. this link: https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2010/09/safety-and-usefulness-of-ozone-as-food.html

 

 

[namatjira]

Washing in salt water is scientifically proven to remove 80 percent of pesticides..

and soaking rice for 12 hours before use also cleans out most of the residual arsenic...

[Awk]

On 2/13/2017 at 1:29 PM, namatjira said:

Washing in salt water is scientifically proven to remove 80 percent of pesticides..

and soaking rice for 12 hours before use also cleans out most of the residual arsenic...

 

Proven by what scientists?  Please provide some reference.

 

Regarding the strawberries farmed by the op, I recently got a chance to taste them.  They are the best I've tasted here in Thailand, which does not say much.  So let me instead say: they taste and look like strawberries in scandinavian countries.   Not the best ones mind you, but what would be perfectly acceptable to sell in a shop there during the summer without anyone complaining.  The  other Thai strawberries  I've tasted here would be promptly returned for a refund by the few customers who might have accidently bought them.

 

 

[junglechef]

On 2/1/2017 at 9:42 AM, namatjira said:

Plenty of factual scientific analysis has been done...no disputing the facts.

 

https://peerj.com/articles/2432/

 

some of the articles produced slightly different results caused by a different source of study material....however the underlying truth is that organic is often not,

and that the big supermarkets are no better than the fresh food markets.

at times considerably worse.......some vegetables are nearly always free of toxic residue....cabbage, watermelon.....and some are dangerously loaded...kale, spinach.

the humble orange was the worst of the fruits, guava also very bad.

read some research and it would be wise to be guided by that research.

clean your fruit and vegetables..

 

 

I thought, from what I've heard and read (sorry no links saved), that cruciferous vegetables which includes cabbage and broccoli were some of the worst when it came to pesticides residue. Supposably the hill tribes that grow them for the market have small plots using healthier farming practices for their own consumption.