Organic foods probably safer, but more expensive Pesticide alternatives still only in research stage Peggy Trendell-Whittaker ECO INFO SO WHAT, exactly, are we ingesting along with the food on our dinner plate? That's what a Health Canada Study is aiming to find out. Called the Total Diet Study, or the Market Basket Study, its goal is “to deter- mine the actual exposure of the Canadian population to pesticides from foods as prepared for con- sumption.” The Burnaby Health Protection Branch tab is one of the three regional laboratories that is involved in testing the food bought at retail outlets in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Three Burnaby staffers involved in the project recently reported on the Total Diet Study at the 29th Anntal Western Trace Organic Pesticide Residue Conference. Overall results of the survey, which is a continuation of a study begun in 1985, won't be available until next year. They promise to be interesting, at the very least. Meanwhile, efforts to reduce our exposure to chemicals in our food are taking place on several fronts. At the same conference, Environment Canada organic chemist Richard Strub reported on his lab's work in determining the effects of a new pesticide in water- ways. While the pesticide has not yet been approved for use in Canada !Come in And See {except in 4 few experimental (ri- als), it is in use in the States and in areas close enough to our border to have a potential affect our water- ways. Checking for water and svil contamination is the main raison d@'étre of the Environment Canada lab, Currently located on Marine Drive in West Vancouver, it will soon be moving to the Environmental Sciences Centre being built on the site of the Maplewood Wildlife Sanctuary. After the building opens in November, public and school tours and open houses will be planned to give us a glimpse into the complex world of water and soil testing. While it has not yet been run through the extensive gamut of Agriculture Canada tests required before being approved for use here in this country, the above-men- tioned pesticide shows promise and our farmers are very interested in applying it locally. The substance is called Azadirachtin (AZD), and it’s derived from the kemel of the neem tree, a member of the mahogany family and found large- ly in the Indian sub-continent, but also in Africa, Australia, Central and South America and the states of Florida, California and Arizona. Attention was drawn to the neem during a locust plague in the Sudan. Swarming locusts left no greenery in their path — except on the branches of the neem trees, which boasted the only leaves left after the devastation. Further applications are now being found in'keepiug common vegetables, fruits and ornamentals pest-free. Stored product pests, such as grain weevils and flour beetles, are also said to be adverse- ly affected by the substance, which apparently reacts with the pests’ reproductive cycles. “You can always have natural pesticides that are toxic,” noted Strub, “but it’s usually a better Toute to go (than synthetic pesti- cides). since they tend to knock out a specific problem, rather than having an adverse affect on too wide a variety of organisms. The problem with naturally derived pesticides, however, is often the cost. [t takes a lot of THE ULTIMATE GAS STOVE The Regency Ultimate Bayfront Fireplace | Series represents a new gas industry standard] (s0E’S FIREPLACE PRODUCTS | 1394 Main Street N. Van 984-4059 material to come up with even a lit- tle of the desired ingredient, so the prices are pricey. But learning more organically based techniques can reap great savings, too. One study showed that farmers could cut back on half their chemical pesticide use with no adverse affect, and that’s money in the bank. Just one of the local farms experimenting with alternative pest contro! is the Driediger Bros. Farms in Langley, which began a pesticide reduction program in 1979, Since 1985, the farm has been practising [PM (Integrated Pest Management), which has resulted in a 50%, decrease in the amount of chemical pesticides employed. Crops are monitored regularly to determine if there is a pest or disease problem that absolutely needs treating. When that’s the case, beneficial insects can some- times be introduced to control the problem: for example, tiny wasps that lay eggs in the eggs of cut- worms are loosed into the fields and the cutworm eggs are destroyed before they can damage the crops Herbicides have also been greatly reduced thanks to the use, of plastic and sawdust mulches. Helping to get IPM, organic and otherwise healthfully produced food onto are shelves is the Deep Cove Market, a relatively new player on the North Shore health food scene. Located in the Dollar Shopping Centre in the old {GA store, the market offers the usual variety of supermarket items, but also the healthiest example of each. Shoppers can choose between conventional or organically grown produce; buy free-range chicken and (soon) organic beef; get tofu- ish deli items and even pick up organic potato chips (my personal research indicates that the latter is a good buy). Future expansion will include a bakery and more extensive deli. Hours are: Sunday. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday through Wednesday. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Thursday. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.: and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 924-0764. 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