The Dirty Dozen

By: NewNaturalista

Eating organic can be expensive – which is why many families (ours included) use the “dirty dozen” to choose which foods we’d benefit from buying organic.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization, has come up with the list of the 12 fruits and vegetables that consistently have the highest levels of pesticides. They are:

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Sweet bell peppers

4. Celery

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Pears

9. Imported grapes

10. Spinach/Kale

11. Lettuce

12. Potatoes

12 Produce Picks With The Least Amount of Pesticides:

1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Frozen sweet corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mangoes

6. Asparagus

7. Frozen peas

8. Kiwi

9. Bananas

10. Cabbage

11. Broccoli

12. Papayas

According to the organization, the lists are based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration from 2000 through 2004.