🍓 What’s Really in Your Berries?

G’day everyone,

Sorry I missed last week’s newsletter — I’ve been wrestling with finishing the chapter on Hope. I’ll share more about that with you next week.

For now, I want to bring your attention to some worrying news about pesticides in berry production.

What’s Really in Your Berries?

Blueberries and raspberries have become everyday favourites in Aussie kitchens. They look so fresh and healthy, but new testing has revealed something concerning. A scientist in NSW bought a few supermarket punnets and had them tested. The results showed traces of a pesticide that’s been banned here for years, along with high levels of another one called dimethoate.

Now, dimethoate is still legal in Australia, but it’s banned in Europe because of its potential impact on the nervous system. The tests even suggested that a small handful of berries could push kids close to their daily safety limit.

One of the bigger problems is that Aussies are eating far more berries than we used to — almost nine times more than in the 90s — yet the rules for pesticide use haven’t been updated since then. Thankfully, the government has now announced a review.

This also hit close to home for me. Dad often told me stories of farmers stashing away banned pesticides to use when the newer, “safer” ones weren’t doing the job. On top of that, many farmers use pesticides at higher concentrations and apply them more often than recommended. It doesn’t take much to see how this could fuel serious health issues over time.

The safest way to avoid pesticides is to buy certified organic or from a local farmer you know and trust. Of course, there are no absolute guarantees — some people will still cut corners — but if you’re not growing your own, these remain the best options.

Here’s something else to keep in mind: there are now over 40,000 chemicals approved for growing food in Australia. Safety testing usually only looks at each chemical on its own, and only at recommended doses. In reality, a single crop — like tomatoes — might be sprayed with up to 16 different chemicals. No one has studied the long-term impact of consuming the residue from all of them combined.

Findings like this are a reminder that our reliance on chemical solutions in farming has gone too far. And with the rapid pace of new chemical products — and now genetically modified crops — the risks to our health are only growing.

If you are reading this, you're probably wondering why I even wrote it. You are one of the few who understand the risks of eating non-organic food, which is why you buy our fruit and veggies. But even I like to get reminded occasionally, why me and my family go to so much effort to source and eat organic food!

Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your Organic farmers!