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Top offenders include Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Always buying these foods organic is ideal.
Fruits and Vegetables:
With fruits and vegetables, many of them contain thin or edible skins that can contain pesticide residue. In addition, some of them have to be heavily sprayed due to their high level of pests.
Here is a list of fruits and vegetables ranked in order of most or least pesticide load:
(Arranged in order of highest to lowest pesticide load) Fruits: Sweet Bell Peppers, Peaches, Apples, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Hot Peppers, Grapes, Pears, Raspberries, Plums, Oranges, Tangerine, Cantaloupe, Lemon, Honeydew, Winter Squash, Tomatoes, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Blueberries
(Arranged in order of highest to lowest pesticide load) Vegetables: Celery, Lettuce, Spinach, Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Cauliflower, Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes
THINGS YOU CAN BUY SAFELY (Non-organic)
FRUIT
Avocado
Their thick skins protect the fruit from pesticide buildup.
How to Buy It: You want an avocado that is slightly unripe and is firm to the squeeze, they will ripen in a few days of sitting on your kitchen counter. Store at room temperature. Even though you won't be using the skin of the avocado, be sure to rinse it anyway before you open it up.
Bananas
The banana peel isn't eaten and it's where the pesticide stays.
How to Buy It: You'll want to think of how you are going to use the banana before you choose it. If choosing green (where the peel is pale yellow and the tips are green), their taste will be somewhat tart. You will want to let them ripen before eating. If choosing where the peel is mostly all yellow, the pulp will still be firm but their starch content will have started to turn to sugar. These, as just as the green ones, may need to ripen a bit more. If choosing a banana with signs of brown spots with the peel a deeper yellow color, the banana will be sweetest in taste and work well mashed and added to baked goods like banana bread recipes. Store at room temperature. If they're unripe, you can place them in a brown paper bag to ripen.
Pineapple
It has a rough and spiny skin that protects it from pests and pesticide residue.
How to Buy it: Although the sweet smell of pineapple can be alluring, you don't want to use your nose on this one because it usually means that it is overripe. Like any fruit, avoid soft spots and also avoid damage to the rind. Store in the refrigerator or on the counter if you plan to use it within a day or two.
Kiwi
Its fuzzy skin acts as a barrier to pesticides, but be sure to wash them before use.
How to Buy It: When buying kiwi, you have to use your nose. Sniff out kiwis that smell good. The kiwi you choose should be plump and yield to a squeeze like that of a ripe pear. Don't pick any with moist areas on their surface or any skin bruising. If unripe kiwi are all that are available, simply take them home and place them in a paper bag at room temperature with other fruits that need more time, such as bananas or pears. Store in the refrigerator vegetable drawer.
Mango
This fruit has a thick skin that protects it from pesticides, but you still want to wash it before use.
How to Buy It: There are different varieties of mangoes, but in general look for those that are bright in color such as red, yellow, or orange. You can use your nose again here because it should have a significant fruity smell, if not don't buy it. They should be slightly firm but yield to your touch somewhat. (Usually, the sweeter mango is the one that is softer to the touch.) However, if it is too soft, it could be rotten inside, so choose carefully. They are best stored in the refrigerator fruit or vegetable drawer.
Papaya
Pesticide residue stays on papaya skin, but wash the skin before using.
How to Buy it: Papaya colors come in colors ranging between yellow and green. Choose one that is slightly soft and shows no signs of bruising or that doesn't appear shriveled. If they're not fully ripened you can put them in a brown bag once you get home. If they are ripe, store them in the refrigerator.
VEGETABLES
Asparagus
This vegetable faces fewer threats from pests, therefore needing less pesticide.
How to Buy It: You want firm spears with purplish or bright green tips. Buy about 1/2 pound per person. Try to choose spears that are similar in size and thickness to ensure uniform cooking. Keep them in the refrigerator vegetable drawer and rinse before using (even if you're going to boil them).
Broccoli
Conventional broccoli crops face fewer pest threats, like asparagus, so they require less pesticide use.
How to Buy It: It should be deep green in color and the stalks should be firm and not rubbery. Wash in cool water while changing the water a couple of times in the process before use. Store in the refrigerator vegetable drawer.
Cabbage
Like asparagus and broccoli, it doesn't need a lot of pesticides while it is growing.
How to Buy It: You want a cabbage head where the leaves are tight, you also want it to be heavy for its type and firm. For most cabbage varieties, you'll want to make sure the outer leaves are shiny and crisp. The exception to this rule is savory cabbage, as it forms a looser head and the leaves grow crinkly naturally. Don't buy any heads whose leaves are yellowing. Bok choy should have deep green leaves with their stems a crisp-looking white. Make sure to remove the outer leaves of the cabbage before using it. Cabbage can be washed or spun, just as you would lettuce. Store in the refrigerator vegetable drawer.
Onions
As many others listed they don't see as many pest threats, which means less pesticide use.
How to Buy it: You want an onion that is firm and has a distinct onion smell but not but not too strong. You also don't want to choose one with signs of damage or soft spots. Keep in a cool dry place, or in the refrigerator.
Sweet Bell Peppers
Another fruit that usually makes the dirty dozen list because it tends to have high pesticide residue is the sweet bell pepper, in all of its colorful varieties. Nearly 50 different pesticides have been detected in sweet bell peppers.
Potato
America's favorite vegetable is the potato; unfortunately, more than 35 pesticides have been detected on potatoes in USDA testing. Sweet potatoes offer a delicious alternative with less chance of pesticide residue. Because they're root vegetables they absorb just about anything that's in the soil, so any excess chemicals in the soil will likely make their way into the plant, according to the article. And to make matters worse, potatoes are among the most-sprayed vegetables.
Blueberries
Blueberries usually make the dirty dozen list, since more than 50 pesticides have been detected as residue on them. Frozen blueberries have proved somewhat less contaminated. Unfortunately, obvious alternatives like cranberries and cherries, while they may not make the dirty dozen list this year, are often contaminated themselves. For breakfast cereal, if you can't find blueberries, consider topping with bananas.
BUY THE CLEAN 15
If the cost of buying all organic isn't within your budget, fear not. Check out The Daily Green's list of fruits and vegetables so clean of pesticides that you don't have to buy organic. (Of course, buying organic is always a good choice for the health of farms and farm workers, regardless of the residue left on the end product.) The feature also includes tips for buying, cleaning, storing, and using each fruit and vegetable – as well as delicious recipes! Here's a look at the Environmental Working Group's 2011 Clean 14 list:
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn (I disagree, corn is GMO)
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
If you only buy some items organic, you should prioritize the twelve items the group labels “The Dirty Dozen”: Peaches, Apples, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Imported Grapes, Pears, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Lettuce, Spinach, and Potatoes.
The most consistently clean produce: Avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, bananas, onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant.
ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUPS' ORGANIC LIST
Here's a reliable source review of what to buy organic. Of course, it would be optimal if we could buy everything organic, but with soaring produce and food prices, this list can help you pick and choose the organic produce that you should buy.
- Peaches (worst: highest pesticide load)
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes-imported
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Hot Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Raspberries
- Plums
- Oranges
- Grapes-Domestic
- Cauliflower
- Tangerine
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Lemon
- Honeydew Melon
- Grapefruit
- Winter Squash
- Tomatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Watermelon
- Blueberries
- Papaya
- Eggplant
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Bananas
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas-Frozen
- Mango
- Pineapples
- Sweet Corn-Frozen
- Avocado
- Onions (best: lowest pesticide load)
The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67. For produce on the “dirty” list, you should definitely go organic — unless you relish the idea of consuming a chemical cocktail.
“The Dirty Dozen” list includes:
- Apples
- Celery
- Cherries
- Domestic Blueberries
- Imported Grapes
- Lettuce
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach, Kale, and Collard Greens
- Strawberries
- Sweet Bell Peppers
All the produce on “The Clean 15” bore little to no traces of pesticides, and is safe to consume in non-organic form. This list includes:
- Onions
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapples
- Mango
- Sweet Peas
- Asparagus
- Kiwi Fruit
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Grapefruit
- Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Onion
17 MOST IMPORTANT FOODS TO EAT ORGANIC
2. Strawberries – Enjoy them while they are in season from local organic farms or buy frozen organic strawberries from your local whole market.
3. Rice – Domestic rice has mega-doses of pesticides, and now, the chemicals companies are producing “pharm” rice a crop used to produce and store pharmaceuticals. Buy organic rice where you can find it! Store it in an airtight container. It stores very well.
4. Green and Red Bell Peppers – Super sources of Vitamin C, but wrought with pesticides if grown “conventionally”. Buy organic, or, better yet, grow your own. Seeds of Change has a plethora of organic seeds, and pepper plants prove to be a hardy bunch!
5. Got Milk? We hope not, at least, not from conventionally raised cows. Today's commercial brands are loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones. Milk and other dairy is filled with rBST, rBGH, and antibiotics.
If you are feeding your child goat milk, and/or goat products, be aware that our science community has now genetically-mutated a goat to spin silk (yes, clothing silk) in her milk. See the New Scientist article.
6. Corn – Corn is typically not a scale tipper when it comes to pesticide residues. But, take into account that 75- 90% of all domestic corn has been genetically modified, that the average American eats 11 pounds of it, that most cooking oils include corn oil, and that most everything is sweetened with corn syrup, and suddenly, buying organic corn and corn products, makes more than a little sense. Eat local organic corn in season and freeze some for later, or, leave some kernels to dry, and plant them in the spring.
7. Bananas – This tropical favorite has a short window of ripeness and a very long distance to market (quick, how many local banana farms does your town have?). All of which adds up to a lot of heavy chemical dousing along the way.
8. Green Beans – Over 60 different pesticides are used on green beans. Even beans used in baby food have been found to be contaminated.
9. Peaches – Nothing beats a peach. Until you realize that they often have the highest rates of illegally applied pesticides. Isn't that just peachy?
10. Apples – A decade after the dangers of Alar were exposed, apples are still soaked in pesticides. Put only organic apples in your pie.
11. Cherries – Cherries, so expensive, so rich, so fabulous . . . so heavily doused in poison. Make sure that the cherries in your diet are as clean and wonderful as they were meant to be.
12. Celery – Why would anyone think of spraying the heck out of that innocuous little stem vegetable?! But they do. Stay organic, the taste of organic celery will amaze you and make you a celery lover once again.
13. Apricots and Grapes – Apricots, Peaches, and Grapes, what would summer be without them? Less toxic! Keep conventionally grown fruits and veggies, and their pesticide residuals, out of your system or minimize them with a vegetable rinse, such as the one by Healthy Harvest.
14. Soybeans – If you are not yet a label reader, it is time to start. Everything you buy, from bread to cookies to crackers to margarine to dry mixes, has some sort of soy product in it. Most soybeans in the USA are genetically modified.
SO, WHY THE FUSS OVER MODIFIED SOY?
Monsanto, in an effort to increase the use (and profit potential) of Round-Up Ready, spliced the herbicide into soybean plant DNA. Two problems with this action.
1) No matter what you or I do, we can never wash RoundUp Ready herbicide off the soybean--EVER. It is “permanently imbedded”.
2) It appears that soy increases the production of estrogen. High estrogen levels facilitate the potential for contracting various cancers and for hastening puberty in young children.
15. Potatoes – Mashed potatoes are delicious and worth the calories unless they're laden with pesticides or have been genetically modified.
So, mash a clean, real, organic potato and forgo the new-fangled monstrosity.
Got soft, green-sprouting organic potatoes? Don't throw away those sprouting, wrinkly potatoes, bury them! They will grow wonderful potato plants! To get more of a yield, quarter the “old” potatoes before you plant them and you will get FOUR new potato plants!
16. Raisins – Concentrated little grapes, concentrated levels of pesticides.
17. Cucumbers – Ever wonder why this delicious crisp vegetable was losing its appeal on your palate? Yep! The answer is, once again, pesticides. The answer to pesticides, is, once again, go organic, or grow your own. :)
