Expert Explains the Hows and Whys of Pesticides

Consumers are often concerned about the amount of pesticides that can end up on produce after harvesting and worry if fruits and veggies are safe to eat. Carl Winter, PhD, a food toxicologist and the director of the FoodSafe Program at the University of California, Davis explains why we need pesticides and the regulation and safety behind them in this video. Winter explains that in toxicology, “it's the dose makes the poison.” The amount of a chemical, not its presence or its absence, determines the potential for harm. And with pesticides in food, whether it’s conventional food or organic foods, the levels of pesticide residues on those foods are very low and not considered to be of any health concern.