McGill Alumni Portal

It’s something you do all the time. You go to the grocery store to buy fruits and vegetables. It’s convenient and they’re arranged all nicely for you to put in your grocery cart, but do you ever think of where this food comes from, or what happens to it before it reaches your produce section? Where were they grown, and how much pesticide is used are they subjected to?

This year, our student-driven fundraising campaign, Class Action 2012: Our McGill Greenhouse (OMG) is raising funds for an on-campus greenhouse, which will grow organic fruits and vegetables for use by various McGill student gardening groups. The best part is that the produce will not only be pesticide-free—it will be grown right here at McGill. We hope this project will provide healthier and sustainable food options to students, and also make you think about the food you’re eating.

Are you aware of which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticides? This helpful chart reveals that some of the produce with the most pesticides are those we consume most often.

Guide to pesticides in produce

For instance, apples, celery and strawberries are the biggest offenders (with celery containing as many as 57 different pesticides). Although the benefits of eating fruits and veggies outweigh the risk of consuming pesticides, this makes you strongly consider buying organic, or gravitating towards food with lower rates of pesticides – such as onions, asparagus or sweet potatoes.

Better yet, stop by Midnight Kitchen in the Shatner building, to eat yummy lunches made with some of the produce that will be grown right here in our new greenhouse.

It’s food for thought!