Organic or Not? The Dirty Dozen

Each year, the Environmental Working Group publishes a list of the produce with both the highest and lowest amount of pesticide residue to allow consumers to make better choices when they go to the grocery store.  Not all produce needs to be purchased organic, so use this list to keep your toxic exposure as low as possible without it breaking the bank.

The Dirty Dozen

The items on these list contain the most pesticide residue and therefore are recommended to be purchased organic.  The higher the ranking, the worse the item is (i.e. #1 is more toxic than #10):

1. apples
2. celery
3. sweet bell peppers
4. peaches
5. strawberries
6. nectarines (imported)
7. grapes
8. spinach
9. lettuce
10. cucumbers
11. blueberries (domestic)
12. potatoes

The Clean Fifteen

These foods are less likely to contain pesticides and can be purchased conventionally.

1. onions
2. sweet corn
3. pineapples
4. avocado
5. cabbage
6. sweet peas
7. asparagus
8. mangoes
9. eggplant
10. kiwi
11. cantaloupe (domestic)
12. sweet potatoes
13. grapefruit
14. watermelon
15. mushrooms

Can’t Afford Organic?

If your budget is such that even buying the twelve foods on this list organic still isn’t feasible, there is a way to reduce your exposure. It’s not as good as organic, but it’s better than not doing anything.

Simply fill your sink with cold water and add roughly a teaspoon of liquid dish soap (DO NOT use dishwasher detergent). Then wash all of your vegetables and fruits from the Dirty Dozen in the soapy water. Rinse with cold water, dry, and place in the refrigerator (or wherever it’s going to end up). You should remove a significant amount of harmful residue from your food this way.

Washing your fruits and vegetables, however, obviously won’t change whether that food has been genetically modified, so if you’re trying to avoid GMO’s, you’re probably going to have to spring for the organic versions.

For more info, check out the original list from the EWG here: EWG’s 2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.