Comments on: Food Philosophy– How Cuties Got So Cute

By: Grading the Pantry « J500 Media and the Environment

Grading the Pantry « J500 Media and the Environment — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:32:56 +0000

[...] I buy relatively large bags of Cuties, which are small varieties of mandarins. They’re easy to peel, small, and seedless. They’re a convenient and seemingly healthy snack from California. However, to achieve that convenience, they are treated with Imazalil or Thiabendazole, both common pesticides used on citrus fruits. The peeling is also waxed and possibly even gassed in order to increase shelf-life and appearance. Turns out being “cute” comes at a price. [...]

By: Administrator

Administrator — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:51:37 +0000

Hi Emily: You raise a great question. Imazalil and thiabendazole are anti-fungals that are used widely on the peels of non-organic citrus. Basically, they inhibit mold and rot. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of these anti-fungals used is not harmful to humans. Another way to look at it is that you are not eating the peel and thus are exposed to very little of the anti-fungal. That being said, in juicing plants, the peel and pulp are used for other purposes (including as flavor sources for soft drinks, etc). In this case, the anti-fungals are being ingested. Is that really safe? I don’t know. I’m looking into the topic and will post what I find. Thanks for reading!

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:11:43 +0000

So does this mean that imazalil thiabendazole is dangerous for us or what? I too, recently flipped my cuties box from Trader Joe’s over to find the same horrifying info as you! I was really disappointed because I mainly buy organic and decided to “look the other way” with this citrus.

Can you tell us if this should be avoided? I know that antifungals are used on kids with autism with good results (not that I would use that as a treatment), but how harmful is it on food?

Weird.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:25:04 +0000

That is why yours taste the best… none of that bad stuff…..

By: Eden

Eden — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:19:01 +0000

I guess this isn’t surprising, but still a bit disappointing.

I would be interested to know more about the federal requirements for calling something organic? Clearly organic farmers are doing something different than I do in my own vegetable garden…