Understanding the Dirty Dozen
The Environmental Working Group, or the EWG, recently released their 9th Annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This includes the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen, which includes lists of fruits and vegetables that contain the least and the most pesticides. Some conventionally grown foods are treated with more pesticides than others, and some of these crops absorb and retain those chemicals more than others. There are root crops such as potatoes, parsnips, beets and carrots that soak up pesticides, fertilizers, and other soil impurities them via water absorption. If your main goal is healthy eating, choose organic varieties of the “Dirty Dozen”—those foods most likely to be heavily contaminated.
EWG aims to support and help the local agriculture and farms and these lists help identify a wide array of fruits and vegetables that are better and healthier when grown locally and organically. If you want to avoid pesticide-contaminated foods, the best thing to do is to choose organic vegetable and fruit options. According to the senior analyst of EWG, many consumers use the Shopper’s Guide to select their organic vegetables and fruits and find easy, affordable ways to avoid toxic chemicals.
For the second year in a row, the Dirty Dozen list includes a “Plus” category with collards, kale, and summer squash. While these crops didn’t meet the full criteria of the traditional Dirty Dozen, these crops did test positive for contamination with pesticides that can harm and damage human nervous systems. The Clean Fifteen list is more focused on conventionally grown crops with the least amount of pesticide residue. It gives consumers a safer option when choosing non-organic vegetables and fruits. Consumers who usually shop at the farmers market should talk with their farmers about pesticide use on their crops. Since organic certification is an expensive procedure, more and more non-organic growers are using organic methods.
The Dirty Dozen Plus
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Potatoes
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Hot Peppers
- Grapes
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Celery
- Apples
Plus:
- Summer Squash
- Collard Greens
- Kale
The Clean Fifteen
- Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Peas
- Pineapples
- Papayas
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Mangoes
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
- Eggplant
- Sweet Corn
- Cantaloupe
- Cabbage
- Avocados
- Asparagus
To learn more about pesticides check out EWG Home Page
As a disclaimer, this is not to say that the Clean Fifteen have zero pesticides and are as nutritious as their organic counterparts. But, they have been found to contain far fewer toxins when grown conventionally than the foods listed in the Dirty Dozen. Always bear in mind that both conventional and organic foods must be washed thoroughly before eating. Sticking to these lists can help ensure you are doing your part to limit the number of toxins you and your family are exposed to.
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