EWG has released their 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. I use this guide to buy smart and reduce my family's exposure to pesticides as much as possible. Eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all!
This guide will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce. Click here to download the guide as a PDF.
Please always remember to wash all produce, especially conventional produce. The risk of ingesting pesticides could be greater than reflected by USDA test data. EWG has not evaluated various produce washes for efficacy or potentially toxicity. However, since some plants absorbed pesticides systemically, a produce wash would have limited effect. The safest choice is to use the Shopper’s Guide to avoid conventional versions of those fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues. I use plain ol' water to wash my produce. When I feel the need I add a little baking soda to the wash, and rinse well.
Make sure to carefully look at the number on the fruits and veggies you are buying:
- Conventionally grown fruits and veggies start with the number 4.
- Organically grown fruits and veggies start with the number 9.
- Genetically modified fruits and veggies start with the number 8.
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| organic |
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| conventional |
For example: I stay away from the gross Grapple. Have you seen this thing? It once was a perfectly fine apple, but then they had to inject it with artificial grape flavor. YUCK!!!
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| GROSS!!! |
Bottom line: Be sure to understand ALL labels... You could be tricked by misplaced fruits and veggies.
