The Toxicologist Who Wants You To Eat Pesticide-Sprayed Strawberries

Do you feel guilty eating a pesticide-sprayed strawberry? Outreach programs like the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen List," have convinced many people that unless they're eating organic, they're poisoning themselves and causing cancer. After all, if there's an organic program, it must be because synthetic pesticides are unhealthy and we need a better alternative, right? But here's the thing: most toxicologists and other food safety experts look at the science investigating this topic and conclude that there's no health advantage to be had from organic. In this episode of the Renaissance Humans Podcast I talk to Dr. Carl Winters, Ph. D., of the University of California at Davis. He's the Director of the FoodSafe Program and Extension Food Toxicologist in the Department of Food Science and Technology, and has spent much of his career investigating the effects that pesticide residues have on us, and what the health tradeoffs might be if you choose organic over conventional.