Recently a friend at my dinner table admired the centerpiece of bright orange fruit.
So refreshing in the middle of winter.
Easy to peel. A burst of taste on the tongue. Seedless, too. MMmmm.
But did I know that certain brands are irrigated with wastewater from oil production? she asked.
Was my brand the contaminated brand?
I’ve been thinking about these concerns as I admire the pretty orbs. Looking at the little stickers on the peels. Reading the minimal print on the package. Wondering.
There are stacks of boxes of these mandarins at the markets. Piles and piles of bags of this particular produce.
Thinking I was getting some vitamin C.
Yikes
*Stanford weighs in on mandarins- link
I put them in pretty Spode bowls.
*Here’s what fact checking Snopes Report oh my Quarreling Clementine says
I worry about food safety.
*There’s been a bill proposed to require labeling
*Labels may be required on produce irrigated with refinery wastewater
*There was an intense marketing campaign to get kids to swap candy for this particular fruit.Swapping Sweets for Fruit
Perhaps you knew all this already.
I did not.
Growers say the are not genetically modified.
*Four links in blue above -covering the controversies.
I read one about California beekeepers being upset, too.
Thanks R for inspiring this post!