Every year The Environmental Working Group release a report stating which fruit & vegetables have the most pesticides & which have the fewest. Their mission is to make the food supply more transparent & to help the consumer decide when it makes sense to spend more on organic produce.
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen list documents produce with the highest loads of pesticide residues. This list serves as a solid reminder that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to cleaning up the food system. A single strawberry sample harboured 22 different pesticide and pesticide breakdown residues.
Dirty Dozen:
- 1. Strawberries
- 2. Spinach
- 3. Nectarines
- 4. Apples
- 5. Peaches
- 6. Pears
- 7. Cherries
- 8. Grapes
- 9. Celery
- 10. Tomatoes
- 11. Sweet Bell Peppers
- 12. Potatoes
The Clean 15
The Clean 15 list includes produce that is least likely to be contaminated by pesticides.
Clean 15:
- 1. Avocados
- 2. Sweet Corn
- 3. Pineapples
- 4. Cabbage
- 5. Onions
- 6. Frozen Sweet Peas
- 7. Papayas
- 8. Asparagus
- 9. Mangos
- 10. Eggplant
- 11. Honeydew
- 12. Kiwi
- 13. Cantaloupe
- 14. Cauliflower
- 15. Broccoli
* This list should in no way deter you from eating fruits and vegetables, but it should make you wary of modern chemical farming. Using chemicals to fumigate the soil and kill microbes has some unwanted side effects, including reducing vitamins & minerals in our soil and food. It is important to be aware of the foods that have highest contamination with chemicals that are then consumed by you- the consumer