It's an unusual issue, with a potential lesson for us all about preparing this legume for safer eating.
Beans consistently show up in the diets of the world’s longest-living populations, with BlueZones.com even calling them “the world’s #1 longevity food.”
Beans are also a budget-friendly way to get multiple nutrients. Nearly all legumes provide fiber, which supports metabolic health (not to mention, digestion), and also protein—which means you’re supporting fat-burning and healthy muscle by eating a vegetable, before you’ve even introduced a meat. That can help you save on calories.
Note that a California food distributor is now recalling “all lot numbers” of beans that were part of three products. As often as our team covers recalls, this is not a reason we typically see. Via a Thursday FDA recall announcement, Falcon Trading Company, Inc. says their company “has discovered through routine testing, that the Organic Black Beans we purchased from a certified organic handler contained pesticide residue. Due to the presence of pesticide residue in an organic product, we are initiating a product recall.”
In other words, it seems an organic bean grower was, in fact, using pesticides.
The company says this affects all lots of the following products and codes, as listed on the FDA’s site (which adds, “Because these items are sold in bulk, the lot numbers can be mixed in the sales bin”):
- FTC item # 003040 Black Organic, UPC 086700930403, 25 Pound sack
- SRF item # 003056 Chili Bean Blend Organic, UPC 086700030561, 15 Pound Box
- SRF item # 013000 soup Mix Organic, UPC 086700130001, 25 Pound Box – note, this soup is also referred to as “Sunset Soup” elsewhere in the announcement.
The “sack” and “box” packaging formats sound to have been sold as dry beans, not canned or otherwise.
The alert advises: “Consumers who have purchased any of the products listed above are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.”
So, if the beans are sold in bulk, particularly as part of chili and soup mixes, wouldn’t the boiling point remove any possible presence of pesticides? Not necessarily, sources suggest. Scientific journal publisher Wiley has shared background on a study that compared one minute of running water over beans, versus boiling them for 30 minutes “with continuous agitation”—likely, stirring.
Surprisingly, 60 seconds of continuous water removed between 40% and 70% of pesticides, whereas boiling removed a modest 30% to 50%.
Also, what is “sunset soup”? Some sources suggest it’s a soup made of produce that creates a sundowny hue, such as butternut squash, carrots, ginger, and even apples. There are a variety of soup recipes online that go by that name, so it’s possible that some include black beans.
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