Table grapes like to grow in just the right conditions – a dry, hot climate, with deep rich soil and plenty of groundwater. Humid conditions can lead to mildew and fungus, while cold temperatures can cause damage to grapevines. The fall and winter weather conditions in Chile are ideal for growing both wine and table grapes, but it's easy for aphids, nematodes, Mediterranean fruit flies and other pests to hitchhike in on imported grapes. That's why the US government requires that all grapes and stone fruits imported from Chile be fumigated with methyl bromide when they arrive at a US port.
Also used on strawberry crops, methyl bromide is classified as a Toxicity Category I compound. Under the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol, two political initiatives designed to protect the environment, the production of methyl bromide, a known ozone-depleting chemical, was supposed to be phased out in January 2005. However, the EPA continues to make regular exceptions that accommodate agricultural users, because "there are no technically and economically feasible alternatives." More than 60 per cent of imported raisins also tested positive for pesticide residues, whereas only 30 per cent of domestic raisins had detectable residues.
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Excerpted from To Buy or Not To Buy Organic, copyright 2007 by Cindy Burke. Used by permission of Avalon Publishing Group.All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.
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