05/14/2026
You gotta stay aware about your food, where it comes from and what they’re putting in it. You literally are what you eat.
In California's Pajaro Valley, where nearly 40% of the state's strawberries are grown, residents face a stark health crisis. Santa Cruz County, home to Driscoll's world headquarters, now ranks second in California for pediatric cancer rates among children ages 0 to 14.
Current data shows childhood cancer rates at 22.5 cases per 100,000 children — more than 38% above California's statewide average of 16.3 cases per 100,000. The disparity is concentrated in agricultural areas where intensive pesticide spraying occurs adjacent to schools and residential neighborhoods.
Over 1 million pounds of pesticides are applied annually in Santa Cruz County, with the majority used in the Pajaro Valley's strawberry fields. Agricultural workers and local physicians document that 98.5% of pesticides associated with childhood leukemia and 95.2% of those linked to childhood brain cancer were applied in the Watsonville area in 2019 alone.
Driscoll's, the dominant strawberry producer in the region, applies soil fumigants including 1,3-D (officially designated a carcinogen by California) and chloropicrin (originally used as a chemical weapon). While the company produces 15-20% of its berries organically, conventional pesticide applications continue near schools despite calls from local health advocates, farmworker organizations, and residents for organic conversion in residential areas.
Source: Center for Farmworker Families. (2025). Pesticide exposure and childhood cancer in Santa Cruz County. López, A. (2025). The Importance of Organic is on Full Display in Driscoll's Non-Organic Backyard. The Urban Activist. (2025). A California Berry Town Builds the Case for Organic Agriculture. Lookout Santa Cruz. (2025). Driscoll's has the resources and know-how to shift to organics around schools.
Image: Driscollis
