Do those luscious-looking strawberries lining the shelves at the local supermarket carry a dangerous amount of residue from pesticides? Consumers have long wondered, but had no guarantees of purity unless they shopped at an organic-foods store. Now the $313 billion supermarket industry is starting to seize on pristine produce as a major selling point and competitive issue. In California "certified clean" has become a battle cry among rival grocery chains. The pesticide fears have been fanned this summer by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers of America president, who last week concluded a 36-day hunger strike protesting the exposure of laborers...
Where Cleanliness Means Profits
Fear of pesticides ignites a squabble over the purity of produce
Subscriber content preview.
or
Log-In
To continue reading:
or
Log-In