# Yahoo! Article: "The 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat" Thoughts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750 "2009-12-10T18:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/1 "2009-12-10T18:19:08Z")
> **[Yahoo Health: Advice and Reviews on Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, Aging, Well...](https://health.yahoo.com/)** > > Yahoo Health is your trusted guide for women's and men's health, fitness memberships and equipment, nutritional food and supplements, healthy aging, restful sleep, and personal well being. Nope to get into GD territory here, but it sounds an awful lot like organic food propaganda. What struck me as the most absurd was the bit about potatoes. 1. Nonorganic Potatoes > [@](#): > > The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board > > The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation’s most popular vegetable—they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. **“Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t,”** says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). **“I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”** > > The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough if you’re trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh. Bolding mine. Amazingly, the solution to all the worries in this article is to buy organic. I guess the GQ is, how much validity is there to what the “experts” have to say? And here is a quick run down of the 7 foods the experts won’t eat: 1. Canned Tomatoes 2. Corn-Fed Beef 3. Microwave Popcorn 4. Nonorganic Potatoes 5. Farmed Salmon 6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones 7. Conventional Apples Thanks, Jeff (Also, I did a search for this article and found no results. Apologies if this has already been covered here.) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/2 "2009-12-10T18:34:59Z")
Never in my life have I had a problem getting a potato to sprout. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/3 "2009-12-10T18:35:35Z")
“Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board”. Do you think he is an unbiased source giving the consensus view of the scientific community? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/4 "2009-12-10T18:53:14Z")
Each item on that list is an item that ONE “food expert” won’t eat. The headline is misleading at best, and deliberately deceptive at worst. Had they talked to 20 ‘experts’, they would have a list of 20 foods that experts won’t eat. 4 of the 7 experts appear to have no scientific credentials whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/5 "2009-12-10T18:59:42Z")
My potatoes sprout all the time. Of course, the title can be read as if 7 food experts aren’t eating, and given the one horrendously false claim in this thread, I would not push for them to start. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/6 "2009-12-10T18:59:58Z")
Chipotle advertises that they only use rBGH-free milk in their sour cream. However, on these advertisements, they also state that the FDA has found no chemical difference in milk from rBGH-treated cows and untreated cows. Take from that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/7 "2009-12-10T19:04:17Z")
Organic food is the biggest consumer scam since bottled water. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/8 "2009-12-10T19:04:49Z")
I sometimes don’t use up my potatoes fast enough; I have trouble keeping them from sprouting. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/9 "2009-12-10T19:08:18Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I sometimes don’t use up my potatoes fast enough; I have trouble keeping them from sprouting. Amen. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/10 "2009-12-10T19:10:28Z")
Microwave popcorn??? It’s popcorn in a fucking bag. I agree that the organic movement is one of the biggest scams going. That being said, organic producers should be coasting right now. They shouldn’t be coming up with idiotic attempts to vilify conventional growers. If they go to far, people are going to catch on to the bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/11 "2009-12-10T19:10:57Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I sometimes don’t use up my potatoes fast enough; I have trouble keeping them from sprouting. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/12 "2009-12-10T19:11:47Z")
Conventional apples? I buy my apples at the fruit stand. I’m not going to stand there and interrogate the poor barely English speaking dude on how organic they are! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/13 "2009-12-10T19:14:22Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Organic food is the biggest consumer scam since bottled water. “How did we get to the point where we’re paying for bottled water? That must have been some weird marketing meeting over in France. Some French guy’s sitting there, like, 'How dumb do I think the Americans are? I bet you we could sell those idiots water.” -Jim Gaffigan ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/14 "2009-12-10T19:28:00Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Organic food is the biggest consumer scam since bottled water. Except that generally, organic foods **do** have no or significantly lower pesticide content (not to mention not using a ton of chemical fertilizers, which can screw up local waterways with algae bloom and the like) compared to conventionally-grown foods, while bottled water is often just municipal tap water. I do agree that certain organic foods really don’t tend to have a significant pesticide uptake and thus can be skipped, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/15 "2009-12-10T19:30:47Z")
I’m disturbed that many here consider organic food a “scam”. While I agree that it may not make a significant health difference for the _individual consumer_, the difference between the environmental impact of conventional and organic farming is notable. It’s fine if you don’t care about the effects your actions have-- many people don’t-- but that doesn’t make things scammy just because you don’t want to step up. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/16 "2009-12-10T19:33:04Z")
My stupid potatoes sprout even when I don’t want them to. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/17 "2009-12-10T19:33:31Z")
I’d also like to mention that the stock photo for the article in the OP cracks me up. I’ve never seen someone look so contemptuous of a green in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/18 "2009-12-10T19:35:51Z")
And just adding to the “WTF?” chorus about potatoes sprouting - dunno about sweet potatoes, but both the conventional and organic white potatoes that I’ve had will sprout away if I leave them for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/19 "2009-12-10T20:28:41Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I sometimes don’t use up my potatoes fast enough; I have trouble keeping them from sprouting. I had one that didn’t sprout recently. Instead it turned to sludge and I couldn’t locate the source of the smell for some time. Seriously, you’d think if you made a list of stuff experts REALLY won’t eat it would start with Hungry Man and end with Velveeta. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/20 "2009-12-10T20:38:19Z")
> [@](#): > > The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board > [@Boyo Jim](#): > > 4 of the 7 experts appear to have no scientific credentials whatsoever. Not only that; how many of the 7 represent the organic food industry? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750.md?page=2)