Korean Job Discussion Forums

[AtmaWeapon]

Those of us from the US probably have come to assume that if fruit/vegetables aren't certified organic, then they are probably covered in pesticides. Anyone know if it's the same in Korea? And if so, is there a fruit/vegetable wash available somewhere, like the ones you can get from Trader Joe's in the US?

[ajosshi]

[AtmaWeapon]

[Louis VI]

Here are a list of pesticides that killed people in South Korea according to a 2006 study: paraquat, organochlorine, carbamates, glufosinate, organophosphates. Paraquat is banned in the EU and the leading cause of suicide poisonings in Samoa due to widespread availability and the fact that two teaspoons can kill. Organochlorine is the nasty stuff in DDT that's banned in much of the developed world, but not in Korea apparently. Glufosinate is a herbicide used on genetically modified foods engineered to be resistant to the poison. It's produced in Frankfurt Germany and has sales over half a billion dollars annually. Originally invented in Japan, it is used to help keep land clear of growth between crop planting periods. It has neurological and birth defect effects well documented in lab rats and residues are a health concern in food and water humans consume. It's most concentrated in dried peas, field beans, wheat, barley, oilseed rape, and linseed as well as the milk and meat of cows fed straw from land treated with it. The environmental impact needs more research it's said, though it clearly has harmed clams, oysters, fish and birds as well as nontargeted plants, transmitted by air, water and insects.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:wTJ8MHKNM7UJ:www.asiatox.org/9th%2520apamt/OP/PESTICIDE%2520POISONING%2520IN%2520KOREA.pdf+pesticide+korea&hl=en&gl=ca&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgAAk09PzfeTEFz9A-GDwuIP05g0phyDMVh1L_-7k3bA7PADy1zK21VP1NRucM7tECJw-kYjs17X2HfpP9rKs97P8rM4Y9_UR9KVBiOXDkO0bkGRdJDL684seqypMVdcYf7rmHk&sig=AHIEtbTB1k7snA8dXClJZTJ0keQe5zpgWQ

[ajosshi]

[ajosshi]

[AtmaWeapon]

[taobenli]

ajosshi- where do you get your organic produce in Jeonju? Do they ship or do you go out directly? I live in Jeonju but don't have a car, and I've been wanting to get nicer produce partly because I'm not satisfied with the produce I can get in marts, and partly because I am worried about pesticides.

[djmarcus]

Soak your fruits/veg in vinegar+water for a minute or so, rinse and eat.

[atwood]

Ever notice how cosmetically perfect Korean fruit is? That's because they use a ton of chemicals on them.

I know a farmer. He grows the food he and his family eat on a patch of land separate from the produce he grows for sale. I think that tells you all you need to know about the safety of Korean-grown produce.

[akcrono]

Lets not forget that organic food is dangerous as well:

http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=1196

DDT, while it can destroy bird populations in an environment, is basically non-toxic to humans. There are actually groups advocating for its limited use in Africa (sprayed on huts, not fumigation) where malaria epidemics are rampant.

The deciding factor to me was that life expectancy increased as we started using these chemicals. If they are as dangerous as some people make them out to be, there would be a lot more deaths. Instead, we get higher yields that are safer to consume.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of chemicals, and I agree that DDT (and any other pesticide that harms the environment) should be banned commercially. However, I feel that there is a lot of undue fear over the chemicals in the food. I'd rather eat a tomato from a grocery store here than one mailed to me by my parents. What did people do before all of these modern food production techniques?

"The answer is simple. They died young."

[atwood]

[akcrono]

[atwood]

[akcrono]