You know how there’s that list of the dirty dozen in fruits and vegetables? Those are the fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide count. But did you know that coffee beans and cacao beans (chocolate) have some of the highest pesticide count of any foods? This is not only harmful to consumers, but is also harmful to the farmers and villagers that live around the coffee and cacao plantations. These pesticides are also dramatically affecting the rainforests, plant life and animal life.
If you are an avid coffee and chocolate lover, I highly recommend that you switch to organic and fair-trade so that you aren’t putting harmful chemicals into your body, are helping the environment and are supporting the health of the humans, animals and plants that live around these plantations.
Read more about coffee certifications here. Do you drink organic and fair-trade coffee?
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I do consume the occasional chocolate baked good from WF but if buy on own almost always Endangered Species. Luv me some Carob too
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Can you recommend a thrify place to buy organic coffee?
I buy organic beans (and I believe there is ground too) at a grocery store around here called Woodmans (Festival Foods here also carries it). I buy the Cameron’s brand. They carry both regular and organic. I’ve been able to get it on sale at Woodman’s for $6.50 for a 12 oz bag. Which is cheaper than the Starbucks, etc we used to buy. We drink coffee daily so it was an important switch for us.
I’m going to have to start looking into organic chocolate sources now. Thanks for the info!
Newman’s own also has organic coffee. I have a Keurig so I can find it at Costco and Bed, Bath and Beyond of all places.
I have been buying fair-trade coffee and chocolate for a couple of years now, ever since I volunteered with a group that fights human trafficking and I learned that these two industries are notorious for slave labor. Most of the time, but not always, something that is fair trade will also be organic. You can get fair trade coffee at Costco, Wal Mart and Target.
Used to drink organic coffee, but the kind I was buying was too acidic for me. I was having horrible acid reflux
I switched back to regular and haven’t had problems in that area and kind of forgot about it.. put it in the back of my mind.
I am chocoholic and I also drink a lot of coffee so I am glad you posted this. I did not know that both chocolate and coffee have a high pesticide count. Thank you for sharing this. I am definitely switching to organic coffee and chocolate.
I didn’t know coffee had a high pesticide count until you posted about it a few months ago. Since then, I was buying organic Yuban on Amazon. Recently I found organic coffee at the salvage store, so I stocked up. Thanks so much for all the valuable information!
thanks for the tips on where i can get it…appreciate it!