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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