📖 2 mins read

There are a lot of good reasons to choose locally-grown, organic produce when possible. However, organic food is admittedly more expensive. If you want to maximize the good you do to your body while minimizing the cost, you could choose to purchase organic produce for the fruits and vegetables which tend to have the most pesticides in the United States. It is estimated that if a consumer avoids eating non-organically grown produce in the top 12 (“Dirty Dozen”) on this list, pesticide exposure can be reduced by up to 80%. This list was compiled by the Environmental Working Group from approximately 96,000 studies by the USDA and FDA of the 49 fruits and vegetables listed between 2000 and 2008. There are many fruits and vegetables that are not on this list — these were chosen because they are most commonly eaten.

The scores given are simply a ranking of the different items, from the most problematic in terms of pesticides, to least likely to have pesticide residue. (Unlike other years, there is no attempt to make the numbers reflect the amount of pesticide residue found, only the ranking.) The fruits and vegetables were washed or peeled as most people use the produce – for example, apples were washed, bananas and oranges peeled. More information about this work, from the Environmental Working Group

Pesticides on Popular Produce

(worst) Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries – U.S. Grown
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes – Imported from outside U.S.
Lettuce
Blueberries – Imported
Carrots
Green Beans – U.S. grown
Pears
Plums – Imported
Summer Squash
Cucumbers – Imported
Green Beans – Imported
Hot Peppers
Red Raspberries
Oranges
Grapes – U.S. grown
Cantaloupe
Cucumbers – U.S. Grown
Cauliflower
Tomatoes
Bananas
Broccoli
Winter Squash
Cranberries
Plums – U.S. Grown
Honeydew Melon
Sweet Potato
Grapefruit
Watermelon
Cantaloupe – U.S. Grown
Cabbage
Eggplant
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onions (least)

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