Nutrient and lead profiles of urban harvested fruit and market fruit

The urban landscape is being transformed formally and informally to increase production and access to locally sourced produce. While cultivation of urban produce lowers the carbon footprint of food production by removing transportation to market, there is a lack of studies that investigate both toxic element profiles and nutrient content of produce in these non-traditional settings. In this study, we examined the lead (Pb) content and essential nutrient profiles of fruit harvested from the Greater Boston urban landscape in settings ranging from city streets to urban parks to residential and commercial properties. Partnering with League of Urban Canners (LUrC), a local urban harvesting organization, we created, followed, and assessed a modified participatory action research model that we call the Flashlight Model. Fruit samples were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence, a novel, environmentally sustainable, and economically feasible method to investigate the elemental composition of produce.