The short answer is yes, they do. The more complex answer is just that; more complex.

A recent investigation by Integrated Pest Management shows that about 40 percent of the farmers in Thailand are using pesticides in the growing of their crops.

A staggering 14 percent have admitted to using illegal pesticides in the growing of their crops. By illegal, it refers to chemicals which are considered to the environment or to humans.

Is there prevention?

Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before you eat them or cook them, is one way to help remove the chemical residues, but it should be a habit from childhood to wash your fruits and vegetables before you eat them.

Organic minded friends suggest using a little white vinegar diluted with water to wipe-down your fruits and vegetables after you have washed them thoroughly and then a quick rinse again.

Baking soda is in most kitchen cupboards and makes an interesting foaming solution when mixed with vinegar, or if you don’t want the foam, just use water.

(In the area of non-related information: Here’s another use for a mixture of vinegar and baking soda; just a little baking soda and a little vinegar will make a white paste (after it foams a bit), wipe the mixture on your nose and let it dry (about 10 to 20 minutes) then wash your face as usual, it is a great blackhead remover. I do it once a week as part of my skin care regiment.)

Another reason to wash your fruits and vegetables is the bacteria factor from the numerous insects and animals that roam the farms. Who knows where they have been, walked thru, or have growing on them. All I know is that you don’t want it on your food.

You have a better chance of eliminating the entire residue if you are eating fruits and vegetables that have to be peeled.

Remember, the bowl you placed them in, the cutting board you cut them on, and the counter that you placed them on can all be pesticide gatherers, so wash thoroughly after use so that the dessert gelatin doesn’t taste funny to the children.

Picking berries from a tree or bush and eating them while taking a romantic walk with your sweetheart may look cool in the movies, but it’s not recommended.

Organic is one way to go.

Certified fruits and vegetables that are guaranteed not to be grown with chemicals or pesticides are an alternative, but if you don’t personally inspect the farms in Thailand, you could be in for a surprise.

Pirated DVDs are common in the Kingdom, along with fake sport shoes, shirts, and ladies handbags.

And, since it is cheaper to print up nice color brochures telling about how organically everything is grown, and get the higher organic prices, rather than actually use natural fertilizers to grow the food, there’s always that risk. Being sold as in Thailand doesn’t guarantee that the fruits and vegetables are truly organic.

I certainly don’t have the time to go and inspect every farm.

The demand for organic fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat and poultry is growing, and who is to say that the entire shipment is chemical and pesticide free.

You just take your chances and shop at reputable markets, but unless you have your own chemical lab; it’s hard to know for sure. Wash, wash, wash.

One of the reasons for higher prices for organic foods is the higher cost of producing them.

Yields from the fields are smaller because the growing food source isn’t bombarded with chemicals.

If you were to take all the land in the world that is not just a pile of sand or a sheet of ice, you would discover that about half of it is used for food production.

Land mass is not growing, if anything, it is shrinking. However, the population is growing.

More mouths to feed with the same amount of land to produce food and you get chemicals and pesticides to turbo-charge the farm land.

We can’t all eat organic, because there’s just too many of us and too little room to farm.

Crop rotation is good for the soil on Mother Earth and rotating which fruits and vegetables that you eat will be a way to avoid a high concentration of whichever chemical or pesticide that is being used to grow your favorite food.

The factors that you have to consider before going organic with your food choices in Thailand are these;

1) Authenticity; are the items that you are buying really organic? Look for the certification.

2) Cost; if it costs more to grow, it probably costs more to buy. (Be cautious of cheap organic produce.)

3) Safety; not all organic methods are the same.

4) Taste; once you get use to the robust taste of organically grown food, it will be tough to turn back.

Know the difference between the terms Organic and Natural.

When something is labeled as being organically grown or raised it generally means that they are produced, manufactured, and handled in accordance to very strict rules and methods of farming.

Natural usually refers to the ingredients that somehow manage to maintain their natural properties in the final item that is created.

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