The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic

What should you buy if your favorite organic fruits and vegetables aren’t available?

March/April 2004
By Natural Home Staff 
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What should you buy if your favorite organic fruits and vegetables aren’t available? Environmental Working Group’s list, which assesses the average toxic load of conventionally grown produce, can help you choose the path of fewest pesticides. Check Shopper's Guide to Pesticides for further details.

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Most Contaminated (buy organic)

1 Apples
2 Bell peppers
3 Celery
4 Cherries
5 Imported grapes
6 Nectarines
7 Peaches
8 Pears
9 Potatoes
10 Red raspberries
11 Spinach
12 Strawberries

Least Contaminated

1 Asparagus
2 Avocados
3 Bananas
4 Broccoli
5 Cauliflower
6 Corn (sweet)
7 Kiwi
8 Mangos
9 Onions
10 Papaya
11 Pineapples
12 Peas (sweet)

What about washing?

Sadly, washing won’t change the rank of these fruits and vegetables. Nearly all the data used to create these lists comes from the USDA Pesticide Data Program where the foods are prepared for consumption before they’re tested for pesticides (apples are washed and cored, bananas peeled, etc.). While washing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it clearly does not eliminate them. Some pesticides are absorbed into the plant, are in the fruit, and cannot be cleaned off.

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