Pesticide Residues in Produce
“Dirty Dozen”
produce with the most residues (in order from most contaminated)
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes (Imported)
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes
“Cleanest 12”
produce with the lowest levels of residues (in order from least contaminated)
1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet Corn (frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwis
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Eggplant
The produce ranking, developed by analysts at Environmental Working Group, is based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticide residues on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004. EWG is a not-for-profit environmental research organization dedicated to improving public health and protecting the environment. For more information or to download a wallet size produce shopper’s guide visit: http://www.foodnews.org/.
Thanks for the tip. It’s really a very valuable list. All the while I thought that watermelon and honey dew will be one of the top in the dirty dozen, but both turn out one of the most cleanest.
Thanks for the post, I emailed my friends the full list.