Which Foods Have the Most Pesticides? The Dirty Dozen
Posted on July 2, 2009 by diane
You probably already know that buying organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can is best for your health, and usually tastes better too. But which foods contain the highest levels of pesticides, and which are the least contaminated?
Photo by skyseeker, flickr
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) set out to answer these questions. They created the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which ranks pesticide contamination for 47 popular fruits and vegetables based on 87,000 tests for pesticides on these foods, conducted from 2000 to 2007 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. The “best” and the “worst”:
Most Contaminated: THE DIRTY DOZEN
- Peach (worst, highest pesticide load)
- Apple
- Sweet Bell Pepper
- Celery
- Nectarine
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes – Imported
- Carrot
- Pear
Least Contaminated: THE CLEAN FIFTEEN
- Sweet Potato
- Tomato
- Broccoli
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Eggplant
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Sweet Peas – Frozen
- Asparagus
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet Corn – Frozen
- Avocado
- Onion (best, lowest pesticide load)
Read about EWG’s methodology, or click here for the Full List of 47 Fruits & Veggies.
