Don’t want to eat fruits/veggies coated with toxins? Here’s the latest report from the Environmental Working Group, a watchdog organization in Washington, D.C., to help you make more informed choices in the produce aisle.
“Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is essential no matter how they’re grown,” said EWG senior analyst Sonya Lunder, “but for the items with the heaviest pesticide loads, we urge shoppers to buy organic.”
Just about all the samples of strawberries, spinach, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apples contained pesticide residue, the analysis found. The most contaminated of the strawberries had 20 different pesticide types. Pesticide exposure has been linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, autism and endometriosis in a number of medical studies.
The EWG’s goal is to help you decide when to shill out extra for organic produce and bring some transparency to our food supply. They recommend buying organic whenever possible but if it’s just not in your budget, their guide can help you make more informed, healthy choices.
BUY THESE TOP 12 FRUITS AND VEGGIES IN THE ORGANIC SECTION
The top twelve fruits and veggies with the most pesticides in 2017 (the “Dirty Dozen”) are:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
And the fruits and veggies with the least pesticides (the “Clean Fifteen”) are:
- Sweet corn
- Avocados
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Frozen sweet peas
- Papayas
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Grapefruit
To see the full Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce with all 51 fruits and vegetables, go to www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php.
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