The Dirty Dozen– EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
The Environment Working Group, EWG released its seventh edition of the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, a resource that ranks pesticide contamination for about 50 popular fruits and vegetables and recommends which produce is best to buy organic. Here is the list of the top 12 pesticide ridden fruits and vegetables:
Dirty Dozen (highest in pesticides)
- Apples
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Imported nectarines
- Imported grapes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
- Domestic blueberries
- Lettuce
- Kale/collard greens
“EWG analysts examine testing data by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration from 2000 to 2009 to come up with the latest Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists.” You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by purchasing the organic version of the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Want to know which produce has the least amount of pesticides? Check out the Clean 15.
Source: EWG. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/.
