If you’re on a budget, with the economic downturn most of us are, EWG’s updated 2011 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce is an extremely useful guide to help you choose which fresh organic food to buy and which conventionally farmed produce you can get away with.

The way it works is like this: the Dirty Dozen listed below are those fruit and veg that carry the highest pesticide residues. Personally, if I can’t afford the organic varieties of the Dirty Dozen, then I prefer to do without. However EWG make the point that it is better to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, even if not organic, than not to eat any at all.

EWG Dirty Dozen

  1. Apples
  2. Celery
  3. Strawberries
  4. Peaches
  5. Spinach
  6. Nectarines – imported
  7. Grapes – imported
  8. Sweet bell peppers
  9. Potatoes
  10. Blueberries – domestic to US
  11. Lettuce
  12. Kale/collard greens

The Clean 15 are those fresh fruit and veg that contain the lowest pesticide residues, and therefore exposure to potential toxins is very much reduced.

Clean 15

  1. Onions
  2. Sweetcorn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Avocado
  5. Asparagus
  6. Sweet peas
  7. Mangoes
  8. Eggplant
  9. Cantaloupe – domestic to US
  10. Kiwi
  11. Cabbage
  12. Watermelon
  13. Sweet potatoes
  14. Grapefruit
  15. Mushrooms

For the full listings and methodology details please refer to EWG’s website

NB Since GMO (genetically modified) sweetcorn is not labelled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn.

By making smart buying choices it’s still possible to live the organic lifestyle even when the the money is scarcer.

Filed under: Organic Kitchen

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