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“The biggest misconception comes in when organic options are pushed as healthier than conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables.”

As operations manager for her family’s strawberry farm in Florida, Michelle Williamson shares concerns that the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen and similar activist groups  unnecessarily create fear around the food she and her family have been growing for five generations. She hopes dietitians can help set the record straight about strawberry farming. 

“The EWG Dirty Dozen list is a bad interpretation of science, that creates fear and guilt among consumers,” says Williamson. "I think that this causes fear with some consumers, if they cannot afford the organic option, they feel that they may be causing harm to their families, so they avoid fresh fruits and vegetables all together. Also, the misconception that organic farming practices are safer in the environment creates fear among people living near farming operations."

Living on the same family homestead that previous generations have tended to since 1889, Williamson works alongside her two daughters and niece and takes great pride in this land being as safe a place for her grandchildren to play as it is to grow one of America’s most-beloved fruits.  

If you’re concerned about pesticide residues on produce, visit Safe Fruits and Veggies to calculate how many servings of various fruits and vegetables you would need to consume before pesticides have any effect on your overall health. Know that strawberries are a sensational nutrition addition, regardless of what is on the fruit's label!

For more on pesticides allowed in organic farming, visit the  National Archives.