The Dirty Dozen
The most contaminated Produce.
Do you know when to buy organic Fruits & Vegetables?
Fruits and vegetables are good for you and you need them. But you can choose to buy organic when you need to. There is no need to spend the extra money on produce if they do not use heavy pesticides. If you have ever had a garden you know that some plants grow with out the need to ward off bugs and disease. Some plants are a magnet for all sorts of bugs and disease.
It is estimated that if a consumer eats organically grown produce and avoids 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 87,000 studies by the USDA and FDA from 2000 to 2007). It is unfortunate that many of the items in this list are extremely good for you
so pay the extra $1 for the organic.
Check out the EWG at Environmental Work Group Home Page
(Keep in mind that you can often find produce at farmers markets that is technically grown using organic methods, even if the farm isn't "certified organic". Many small, local growers use age-old practices that shy away from chemicals and genetic modification - just ask them about it!)
Most Contaminated: The Dirty Dozen
Consistent with scientific investigations, fruits topped the list of the consistently most contaminated fruits and vegetables.
1. Nectarines
2. Strawberries
3. Apples
4. Peaches
5. Pears
5. Cherries
6. Red raspberries
7. Imported grapes
The List Continues With Vegetables:
8. Lettuce
9. Spinach
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet bell Peppers
Washing will not change the rank of the fruits and vegetables in this Guide. That's because nearly all of the data used to create these lists comes from the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP) where the foods are washed and prepared for normal consumption prior to testing for pesticides (apples are washed and cored, bananas are peeled, etc.).
While washing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it clearly does not eliminate them. Nonetheless, produce should be washed before it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides and contaminants. However, other pesticides are taken up internally into the plant. The contamination IS IN THE FRUIT, and cannot be washed off. Others are formulated to bind to the surface of the crop and do not easily wash off. Peeling reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel.
The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples that tested positive for pesticides (97.3 percent), Nectarines also had the highest likelihood of multiple pesticides on a single sample -- 85.3 percent had two or more pesticide residues
Pears (94.4 percent)
Peaches (93.7 percent), peaches also was the second highest for multiple pesticides (79.9 percent).
Cherries tested showed multiple pesticides at 75.8 percent.
Raspberries also (along with peach) had the most pesticides detected on a single sample with nine pesticides on a single sample, followed by strawberries and apples, where eight pesticides were found on a single sample.
Grapes also made the list of but it was imported grapes that seemed to be the problem.
Peaches had the most pesticides overall with some combination of up to 45 pesticides found on the samples tested, followed by raspberries with 39 pesticides and apples and strawberries, both with 36. Surprisingly spinach, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers tested highest among the vegetables: I recommend that if you grow your own or spend the extra money to buy organic (especially if you eat them on a regular basis).
Celery had the highest of percentage of samples test positive for pesticides (94.5 percent), followed by
Spinach (83.4 percent) and
Potatoes (79.3 percent).
Celery also had the highest likelihood of multiple pesticides on a single vegetable (78 percent of samples), followed by spinach (51.8 percent) and
Sweet bell peppers (48.5 percent).
Spinach was the vegetable with the most pesticides detected on a single sample (10 found on one sample), followed by celery and sweet bell peppers (both with nine). Sweet bell peppers were the vegetable with the most pesticides overall with 39, followed by spinach at 36 and celery and potatoes, both with 29.
Least Contaminated: Consistently Clean
The Good Newz is that some vegetables are consistently clean of pesticides- included in the list is:
1.Sweet corn
2.Avocado
3.Cauliflower
4.Asparagus
5.Onions
6.Peas
7.Broccoli.
The five fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them are:
1.Pineapples
2.Mangoes
3.Bananas
4.Kiwi
5.papaya.
Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple and mango samples had detectable pesticides on them and less than one percent of samples had more than one pesticide residue.
