Produce and Pesticide Residue — the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15
The Environmental Working Group recently updated its “Dirty Dozen” list for those fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue. According to the EWG, if you buy organic for the twelve fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list, you can reduce your pesticide exposure by almost eighty percent. If you can’t buy all organic, they suggest prioritizing your purchases by buying organic where it counts the most.
The Dirty Dozen
- peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarine
- strawberries
- cherries
- kale
- lettuce
- imported grapes
- carrots
- pears
Potatoes, spinach, and red raspberries were included in the last Dirty Dozen list but have now been replaced by kale, lettuce, and carrots.
The “Clean 15,” also recently updated by the EWG, lists the fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide residue. Even without buying organic, according to the EWG, if you eat the fruits and vegetables on the Clean 15 list, you will ingest fewer than two pesticides daily (as opposed to an average of ten pesticides daily if you eat non-organic produce on the Dirty Dozen list).
The Clean 15
- onion
- avocado
- sweet corn
- pineapple
- mango
- asparagus
- sweet peas
- kiwi
- cabbage
- eggplant
- papaya
- watermelon
- broccoli
- tomato
- sweet potato
The research used to develop these lists assumes that the produce is rinsed or peeled. Unfortunately, rinsing produce reduces but does not eliminate pesticides, and there often are many nutrients in the peel. The EWG’s suggestion is to “eat a varied diet, rinse all produce, and buy organic when possible.”
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Frugality & Nutrition series, Green Living, Simple Living, Voluntary Simplicity
Comments
Comment by Diane:
wow.. that is just so cool! for someone like me that has a hard time affording organic, but is very concerned about pesticides, a list like this is pure gold!
thank you so much☺
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