Yes. Providing safe, healthy food for consumers is always the main priority for farmers. After all, a farmer’s first consumer is their own family. Decades of nutritional research shows that increasing consumption of conventional and organic produce can improve immunity, prevent diseases and increase lifespan. In fact, health experts agree we should all eat more fruits and vegetables for better health and a longer life. 

• The U.S Department of Ag conducts a nationally representative program that analyzes pesticide residues on foods. Over 99% of the foods tested had residues well below safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency with 40% having no detectable residues at all. The Food and Drug Administration and individual states also conduct sampling programs with similar safety verification results. 

• Analyses by University of California toxicologists found that a child could eat hundreds to thousands of servings of a fruit or vegetable in a day and still not have any effects from pesticide residues. This shows how very low residues are, if present at all. 

• According to the Federal Food and Drug Administration, washing fresh produce before eating is a healthful habit. You can reduce and often eliminate pesticide residues if they are present on fresh produce by washing them under running tap water. 

• One peer-reviewed study that examined the risk/benefit of eating more conventional produce found that if half of Americans increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables by a single serving a day, 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented each year. 

Like most fruit and vegetables grown outdoors, strawberries may carry trace pesticide residue. A detectable residue does not mean a dangerous residue. 

• California strawberry farmers grow under  the most rigorous agricultural and environmental standards in the country, with additional oversight from CalEPA and County Agricultural Commissioners — protections unique to California agriculture.  

• Farmers also work to reduce pesticide use itself through careful field monitoring, beneficial insects and pollinator-friendly plants, and tools like Buc Vacuums and UV-C light treatments.  

• When residue is found during testing, it's almost always a small fraction of the safety limit regulators set — a detectable trace is not the same as a harmful dose.  

Peer reviewed studies have shown the so-called “Dirty Dozen” list is not scientifically credible.  Research determined that the list’s recommendation to substitute organic produce for conventionally grown does not reduce consumer risk because residues on conventionally grown produce are already so low, if present at all.  

This is why health experts, registered dietitians and toxicologists urge consumers to disregard this list and choose the produce that is affordable and accessible for them and their family. 

The Centers for Disease Control reports that only one in 10 Americans are eating enough fruits and vegetables each day despite health experts urging higher consumption of these nutrient-dense foods.  Decades of nutritional studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables improves physical and mental health, prevents diseases, and increases life span.