Help me out of a jam!(THE ETHICIST) (consuming non organic strawberry jam) (Brief article)

• Author: Klosterman, Chuck

I'm pondering the fate of a half-eaten jar of strawberry jam in my fridge. It was purchased by a houseguest and isn't organic. I never eat non-organic strawberries because they contain high levels of pesticides. My quandary: If I throw it away, I'll be wasting food; if I serve it to others, I'll be offering something I consider dangerous. Which is the bigger transgression?

DAWN HOLLIER, VENICE, CALIFORNIA

WHETHER YOU'RE CORRECT OR NOT, you believe non-organic strawberry jam is dangerous. If this is what you believe, throw it away.

I suppose it's true that you're "wasting" five or six ounces of a product that costs about $5 a jar and is delicious on toast. But you view this product as a low-level poison, and you don't have to feel bad about wasting poison.

If you're uncomfortable throwing it away, keep the jam separate from the other things in your...