Stonyfield Organic, one of the brands often credited with introducing Americans to organic foods, is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a three-year, $500,000 initiative to eliminate the use of pesticides in parks and fields of 35 communities across the country. "A lot of the epidemic health problems that kids are facing ー ADHD, asthma, and all kinds of immune issues ー are related to the pesticide exposures, not just in what we eat but what we put on our bodies," said the Stonyfield Organic founder Gary Hirshberg. In an interview with Cheddar on Tuesday, Hirshberg said the latest research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York was "shocking", noting that children are exposed to a "cocktail" of pesticides on a daily basis. The good news, Hirshberg said, is that the more we know about the problems, the more we can learn about the solutions. Stonyfield Organic decided to take action after conducting its own study, which showed 67% of parents in the United States were more likely to buy an organic product because of fear of pesticides. But nearly the same number, 69%, were uninformed when it came to what kind of pesticides were being used in the fields and parks where their children play. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/stonyfield-organic-celebrates-35-years).

Share:
More In Culture
Be Well: The Rise of the Mocktails
Nora Minno, a registered dietician, spoke about the rise of the mocktail and explained the benefits of this non-alcoholic mixed beverage that can be made with fruits, seltzer or with non-alcoholic spirits.
In Case You Missed It: Swedish Singer Winds Eurovision Competition
Swedish singer Loreen won this year's Eurovision competition on Saturday night with her song "Tattoo." The singer beat acts from 25 other countries and became the second performer to take the prize twice after winning previously in 2012, but it was the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton who stole the show before the competition got started.
Load More