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!
Sends shivers down my spine thinking about all that we eat without knowing what goes in. If this is the case in developed countries, one can only imagine what goes on in developing ones. There just seems to be a general lack of conscience – profits are supreme, responsibility be damned!
Thank you for your visit and terrific comment on the post. I’m afraid you sum it up with “profits are supreme..”
I certainly didn’t know any of this, Ruth. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve been patting myself on the back for increasing my daily fruit intake and oranges have played a big part in that. I need to do some research, too. One step forward and two steps back — AGAIN!
I didn’t know either John but it’s important to read about consider. Thanks for doing more research. Let me know what you discover.
Beautiful fruit – but your investigative reporting is kind of scary. I appreciate the update, for sure!
Thank you Ruth and other posters for the enlightenment. Bad for us . . . good for us . . . our information is only as good as current science allows. For me, one of the great things about living in America, anywhere in America, our water is, for the most part, safe to drink and our food is safe to eat. I think I’ll just enjoy the delicious taste of the Clementines!
Is there nothing left to eat that hasn’t been tampered with?
These are pretty fruits made gorgeous by your photography skills.
Sad how even eating “healthy” can be nerve-wracking these days…. :/
Ruth – As other people have already mentioned, I also knew nothing about the possible harmful effects of eating Clementines. My daughter and her partner are vegetarians, and their two children (my grandkids!) eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, including Clementines. Thanks for the heads up! I’ve forwarded the information to my daughter and her partner. On a totally different subject, I just want to mention that I love these photos. I love the dramatic contrast between the bright orange color with the Spode bowls. and the tablecloth. Excellent!
I’m telling ya. .. you need to grow & raise your own food these days to really know what you’re eating! This suuuucks! My husband eats 4 a day. . Loves them. Can’t grow them here either. Why do gov’s allow us to eat these contaminated fruits and think it’s ok? Money. Gaaaa! 😲
Thanks for your great comment. In still eating them but worry and wonder my chem prof neighbor neighbor said there is too much lead in our city soil to grow and eat the food. You’d have to bring in soil -it’s really upsetting .
Ouch! I can only think of making raised beds and (just like you said) bring in soil. Bummer.
I count on the Farmers market but who knows…. My son said look for the leaves with bug holes. Less pesticides