Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
There's little doubt that one of the best ways to improve your health is to make sure you're eating plenty of fresh, minimally processed high-quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic. So if you need to work within a certain budget, use the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to help guide you to the best choices when it comes to lowering your overall pesticide exposure.
Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.
Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in U.S. stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn. It is so important to know the source of your food, and you can even call the company to ask specific questions regarding its content and source.
Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.
Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in U.S. stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn. It is so important to know the source of your food, and you can even call the company to ask specific questions regarding its content and source.
EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
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Dirty Dozen: Buy These Organic
Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach
Nectarines (imported)
Grapes (imported)
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Blueberries (domestic)
Lettuce
Kale/Collard Greens
In contrast, these foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables:
Clean 15: Lowest in Pesticides
Onions
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Avocado
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Mangoes
Eggplant
Cantaloupe (domestic)
Kiwi
Cabbage
Watermelon
Sweet Potatoes
Grapefruit
Mushrooms
__
Dirty Dozen: Buy These Organic
Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach
Nectarines (imported)
Grapes (imported)
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Blueberries (domestic)
Lettuce
Kale/Collard Greens
In contrast, these foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables:
Clean 15: Lowest in Pesticides
Onions
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Avocado
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Mangoes
Eggplant
Cantaloupe (domestic)
Kiwi
Cabbage
Watermelon
Sweet Potatoes
Grapefruit
Mushrooms
*If you have a smart phone and can download apps, you can download the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides app to refer to when you are grocery shopping. I also recommend downloading the Shop No GMO app and the Seafood Watch app, a sustainable seafood guide.
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