Organic Lunchbox

Take one step toward improving your child's nutrition by taking the Organic Lunchbox Challenge. Switch at least one unhealthy food (chips, cookie) in your child's lunch to one organic item each day. The switch to organic foods is one of the simplest things parents can do to help safeguard their children's health while contributing to a more sustainable environment. What is organic?

We believe that organic products are good for children because they can help minimize the amount of pesticides that accumulate in young people's bodies. Children are more susceptible to these toxins because they are small, still developing, and they eat a less varied diet.

One notable study conducted at the University of Washington's School of Public Health and Community Medicine divided children into two groups-- those who ate mostly conventional foods and those who ate mostly organic foods. Researchers collected urine from both groups for 24-hours. The urine analysis showed that the children who ate mostly conventional foods had nine times the concentration of pesticides as those who ate organic. In fact, their levels exceeded the safe exposure levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency!

For some easy guidelines about the pesticides on fresh fruits and vegetables, check out our Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.