May 22, 2009
Washington, DC – Hear the words ‘Caesar’ or ‘Waldorf’ and most commonly they are used in reference to a refreshing salad, not the Roman emperor or luxury hotel, so popular are the many variations of this staple of American dining celebrated every May during National Salad Month. Salad combinations are endless, but without the benefits of many of the products produced, manufactured and distributed by CropLife America (CLA) members, America’s supply of cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and many other ingredients used daily to garnish leafy greens would be significantly reduced.
“Much of the produce we use in salads is at the peak of their season this time of year,” said Jay Vroom, CLA president and CEO. “Fruits and vegetables are not only flavorful but nutrient-rich, principal ingredients in a healthy and balanced diet. They’re available in such abundance in part because crop protection products allow them to grow to maturity, shielding them from insects or disease that might otherwise impact yields.”
As the base of many salads, commercial volumes of lettuce are primarily grown in Arizona and California, accounting for 11.2 billion pounds of product, approximately 99 percent of all U.S. production. According to one recent study by The Crop Protection Research Institute (CPRI), left uncontrolled, pests common to lettuce crops can quickly devastate up to 60 to 70 percent of lettuce heads in a given field. Without insecticide use, California lettuce production could see declines of up to 53 percent. However, lettuce crop loss due to insects can be reduced to as little as two percent through the careful application of crop protection products.
Lettuce isn’t the only salad ingredient to benefit from crop protection products. Insecticide use prevents possible carrot yield declines of 30 to 50 percent in the states of Michigan, Texas and Washington. Without insecticides, it’s estimated onion yields would decline by 12 percent in Idaho, Georgia, Colorado, and Utah and a devastating 40 percent in Texas, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. Based on statistics from The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CPRI estimates that without insecticides U.S. production of fresh market tomatoes would decline by 64 percent while processing tomato production would fall by 51 percent. *
“Current economic conditions make it more important than ever that Americans get the best nutritional value for every food dollar spent,” continued Vroom. “Crop protection products support high quality, high yield fruit and vegetables so that a healthy diet remains affordable for all.”
*All estimates per 2009 Crop Protection Research Institute (CPRI) study ‘The Value of Insecticides in U.S. Crop Production’.
