For years we have been told about the benefits of organic foods both for our health and the environment, but still, it has been difficult for consumers to make a clear link between specific pesticide residues on their foods and any health repercussions.

Thanks to a new website which launched this week by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN),www.WhatsOnMyFood.org, consumers can now get access to that information and make more informed choices about what they eat.

“By taking readers deeper into the public problem of pesticides, the site shows how widespread use of agricultural chemicals threatens the health of workers and rural communities, as well as harming wildlife and contaminating ecosystems,” states the e-newsletter announcement about the site. Pesticides do not stay put just where they were sprayed. With the coming rains, pesticides runoff into our waterways, polluting even our drinking water. Atrazine, a banned pesticide in Europe for its hormone disrupting nature, is found in 71% of American drinking water.

Check out this example, where the site investigates the twenty-two different pesticides found on conventionally grown strawberries – some of which are known carcinogens. With just the click of a button you can read up on all of your favorite fruits and veggies. A quick look around the site will make it no wonder to you how the average child in America gets 5+ servings of pesticide residues in their food and water each day. In fact the majority of the U.S. population has detectable concentrations of multiple pesticide residues in their bodies, as detected in biomonitoring studies by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chemicals have even been found in the bodies of developing fetuses.

While pesticides and industrial fertilizers are top dog in U.S. agriculture, they are also what may bring the industry to its proverbial knees. Pesticides and fertilizers were widely introduced into farming 70 years ago and set U.S. farming down a costly and unsustainable path. Along the way, community-scale farming was nearly destroyed, generations have suffered ill health ranging from cancer to autism and Parkinson’s, biodiversity has taken big hits, and the six mega-corporations who dominate the pesticide industry have gotten very rich and very powerful. Already we have witnessed the instability of farming on an industrial scale – water pollution, over used soils, and contaminated foods.

So what’s a consumer to do? Get a pocket guide to take with you to the grocery store so you can identify the foods where it really is worth the cost to choose organic. Tired of having more items in your wallet – don’t worry!The Environmental Working Group has created their list as an iPhone application! For more info than what you can get out of a wallet-sized guide check out the full version. Protect yourself and your kids’ developing bodies by consuming the best fresh produce, meats, water, and dairy you can afford.