
Have you heard of The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15? There is a non-profit called the Environmental Working Group that looks through government documentation looking for environment and health risks and publish it out to the general public. They include engineers, scientists, lawyers and people in information technology and are starting to make a name for themselves with this latest insight. Check out their website.
Many people find organic produce too expensive or difficult to find but want to avoid the pesticides that can be found in traditionally grown fruits and vegetables. So ….EWG has kindly published a list of the Dirty Dozen produce that you should try to purchase organically. The Clean 15 have the least residual pesticides and is less risky than the traditionally grown version when eaten. Following these guidelines, you can reduce your pesticides by up to 92%.
On a side note, I read that Cilantro, which is an herb so not on the list, has the highest amount of unapproved pesticides of everything studied. How disappointing! I suppose your best bet is to grow your own then!
Here is the list in order of highest to lowest residue!
Dirty Dozen: Apples, Celery, Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines (imported), Grapes (imported), Sweet Bell Peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries, Lettuce and Kale/Collards.
Clean 15: Onions, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Avocados, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit and Mushrooms.