Market Farming

[Leigh <lh AT pressroom.com>]

But the truth is daminozide is off the market -was withdrawn by the 
company and banned by the US government ( during a Republican 
administration), has been for quit some time, and while some might 
want to have this chemical in their food, I don't. As the owner of an 
orchard, I don't want Alar on my trees, in my soil, in my drinking 
water or on my apples.  I also support the EPA's testing of 
chemicals.  As farmers we should have extensive knowledge about what 
is safe and what is not. Alar is unsafe. And has few benefits.

Furthermore, any rational person would demand a safe food system that 
prohibits use of chemicals on our food with obvious potential 
negative health results and which provide little benefit.

Sprouts, specifically sprouts grown commercially, are a different 
kettle of fish.  Anyone who grows sprouts commercially or for 
themselves, can easily imagine the potential for contamination, 
(contaminated water, unclean growing surfaces, unsanitary handling) 
especially if the sprouts are to be shipped for long distances and 
the pathogens have extended periods of time to grow and multiply in a 
pathogen friendly medium.

 This is not a chemical contamination but a handling issue.

With commercially grown sprouts we should demand the highest sanitary 
standards for the 'factory' where they are grown, and also for the 
shipping and packaging process.

For chemicals, we should demand of the companies that profit from, 
and have extensive sales forces to promote chemicals insure that 
their products are safe before they are marketed.

In the case of Alar, little testing was done, and finally when the 
producer did do appropriate tests, the results showed that their 
produce was unsafe. They then pulled it off the market.