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Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, seedless, egg-free…we see it all.
Products touting these statements fill our grocery stores, with nearly every product
boasting about their lack of a certain ingredient. We are bombarded with warnings
about food allergies almost on a daily basis, and that's because they are a big
problem. According to a study conducted by the Food Allergy Research and
Education (FARE), allergy rates have risen 50% within the last fifteen years.
Long gone are the days of parents sending their children to school with a
pb&j sandwich they whipped up in 30 seconds flat; that sweet concoction now poses
a serious threat in a school cafeteria. From 1997-2002, the incidence of peanut
allergies doubled. In the last thirteen years, it has quadrupled (CDC).
So what’s changed in the last 20 years to make the peanut such a deathly foe?
The peanut is actually a bean; it is part of the legume family – a family of
plants whose “fruit” is encased in a pod that grows on a vine, or, in the case of
peanuts, underground. The soft shell of the peanut is a highly permeable barrier,
susceptible to contamination by toxins in the soil. Most peanut crops are rotated
with cotton, which is commonly treated with glyphosate (RoundUp) – a broad
spectrum herbicide. As any herbicide, glyphosate damages the beneficial
microorganisms in the soil, leading to increased populations of pathogenic
organisms. When the rotation turns over to peanuts, these crops are now more
susceptible to disease, and so must be treated with even more herbicides,
insecticides, and fungicides.
Peanuts are one of the most pesticide-contaminated products we consume.
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), it is common to
spray a peanut crop every 8-10 days during the growing season. In a survey
conducted by the NASS, herbicides were applied to 94 percent of planted acres,
fungicides to 87 percent, and insecticides to 46 percent. Flumioxazin was the most
widely used herbicide, followed by 2,4-DB dimethylamine salt, Imazapic-ammonium
salt, and Pendimethalin (NASS). According to the EPA, Pendimethalin is considered
a possible human carcinogen.
In addition to the potential carcinogenic effects of pesticide use, peanuts can
also be naturally carcinogenic. In their warm, humid environments, Aspergillus
molds grow on the exterior of the peanut. These fungi release aflatoxins, toxic
compounds that have been associated with increased risk of liver cancer, impaired
immune function, and malnutrition (Barrett). Growth of Aspergillus results in an
additional increase in the use of fungicides – a disconcerting positive feedback
system.
In their own design, the susceptibility of peanuts to pathogens in the soil and
the growth of toxic molds makes it a prime contender for pesticide use. Unfamiliar
to our bodies, these pesticides can provoke an immune response ranging in severity
from slight inflammation to a full-scale allergic reaction. While the severity lies on a
continuum, sensitivities to peanut products are nonetheless becoming ever more
present.
So what’s a peanut buttah lova to do?
Buy Organic: choosing organic means avoiding a whole slew of additional
fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides that are applied to conventionally grown
peanuts.
Choose Natural: conventional peanut butters contain additional ingredients
such as hydrogenated oils, sugar, salt, soy protein and corn syrup,
ingredients from crops treated with their own pesticides and exposed to
their own harmful chemicals. Natural peanut butters are made without the
addition of these ingredients. Opting for a natural peanut butter helps to
reduce additional exposure to toxins.
Refrigerate: refrigeration slows the growth of the aflatoxin-releasing mold in
peanut butter. Aflatoxins can be present in both conventional and organic
peanut butter. So if you choose Jif, make sure to refrigerate it, too.
References
NASS. Agricultural Chemical Use Survey. USDA. May 2014.
Barrett, Julia R. “Liver Cancer and Aflatoxin: New Information from the Kenyan
Outbreak”. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005 Dec; 113(12): A837–
A838. NCBI.
Branum AM, Lukacs SL. “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence
and Hospitalizations”. NCHS Data Brief, no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National
Center for Health Statistics. October 2008.
“Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential”. EPA Office of Pesticide Programs.
EPA. October 2014.