The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit whose mission is to protect public health and the environment, recently released the 7th edition of its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This helpful guide indicates which fruits and vegetables contain the highest amount of pesticide residue (“The Dirty Dozen”) and those that contain the lowest (“The Clean 15″). Why care? Pesticides are not just toxic to the bugs they’re meant to kill, they’re also toxic to us. According to the EWG’s press release, “Pesticides can be extremely toxic to human health and the environment. U.S. and international government agencies alike have linked pesticides to nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone system disruption and IQ deficits among children” [source]. Can we afford to care? Sure, buying organic (which still does not guarantee fruits and/or vegetables are 100% free of pesticides) can be more expensive than buying conventional produce; however, you can use this guide to inform your purchases so that you buy the Clean 15 in their conventional form and the Dirty Dozen in their organic forms.

Here’s the guide! Click for a PDF.

“I” = Imported; “D” = Domestic

Some key quotes from the press release:

• “Produce is ranked based on a composite score, equally weighing six factors that reflect how many pesticides was found in testing of on each type of the produce and at what levels. Most samples are washed and peeled prior to being tested, so the rankings reflect the amounts of the chemicals likely present on the food when is it eaten.”
• “Notable changes in the new guide included apples’ rank as the most contaminated produce, jumping three spots from last year to replace celery at the top of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list. According to USDA, pesticides showed up on 98 percent of the more than 700 apple samples tested.”
• “If you choose 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day from EWG’s Clean 15 rather than the Dirty Dozen, you can lower the volume of pesticide you consume daily by 92 percent, according to EWG calculations. You’ll also eat fewer types of pesticides. Picking 5 servings of fruits and vegetables from the 12 most contaminated would cause you to consume an average of 14 different pesticides a day. If you choose 5 servings from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll consume fewer than 2 pesticides per day.”

While the EWG does not make note of genetically modified produce, I figured this would be an opportune time to mention how you might also be cognizant of this factor when choosing your produce. According to “The Dirt Doctor,” you can identify GM produce in the following way: “For conventionally grown fruit (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. Example: A conventionally grown banana would be 4011. An organically grown banana would be 94011. A genetically engineered banana would be 84011″ [source].

There is much more debate on the safety of GM produce than there is on produce laden with pesticides. Unlike 40 countries in Europe, the US’s labeling laws do not require that GM produce be identified. In fact, almost every soy and corn product in the US stems from a GM version. This means, as Fooducate writes, that “…any product you buy with soy protein (energy bars), soy lecithin (chocolates, deserts), high fructose corn syrup (beverages, sweets, snacks, breads), corn syrup, meat derived from animals eating corn & soy (which is most factory farmed meat), Doritos and Tostitos, etc… is made with genetically modified ingredients” [source]. Another reason to avoid processed junk food, eh? If you’d really prefer to avoid GM produce, Fooducate offers the following recommendations:

1. go organic
2. buy at Trader Joe’s (TJ brands) [they avoid using GM products]
3. buy at Whole Foods (365 brand) [they avoid using GM products]
4. buy Wegmans home brand (Food You Feel Good About) [they avoid using GM products]
5. look for for foods with labels such as the one below:

I’ll also add that frequenting restaurants that use only organic produce is a great way to show that organic food is important to you.

I’m sure we can all yearn for some idyllic past where fruits and vegetables were pristine and pure and we may bemoan that we have to now pay as much attention to the produce we buy as to the processed foods we know we should avoid. There’s no point in mourning! If more of us spend our money buying organic and non-GMO products, we’ll find that agribusiness will provide more of those.  They want our money, ya know? Happy mindful produce shopping!

Any other tips on shopping for organic and/or non-GMO produce?

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. The EWG also produces the helpful Sunscreen Guide and Skin Deep cosmetic database. I would recommend perusing their site if you haven’t yet and checking out all the helpful consumer guides they produce.

I have an interesting assignment for you. Grab your significant other, best pal, or some random hottie crossing your path and pull him or her aside. Tell ‘em, seductively, that you need to discuss the “dirty dozen” with them. I guarantee they’ll be so intrigued that by the time they realize you’re talkin’ organic produce, they’ll be too engaged to care. Just a little cranky tip for you ;P So, onwards…

The Environmental Working Group has published a new list of the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables with the highest concentration of pesticide residue (see here for a handy PDF).

There are significant changes from their last published list! The EWG recommends eating a plentiful variety of fruits and veggies and buying the following 12 listed items organic as much as your budget allows.

The Dirty Dozen (2010; listed in highest concentration to lowest)

1. Celery (up from #4)
2. Peaches (down from #1)
3. Strawberries (up from #6)
4. Apples (down from #2)
5. Blueberries (new to the list)
6. Nectarines
7. Bell peppers
8. Spinach (new to the list)
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (Imported)

The Daily Green adds:

1. Leafy Greens
2. Carrots
3. Pears
4. Tomatoes

The Clean 15 (Lowest in Pesticides; #1 = Least contamination)

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet potato
15. Honeydew melon

Per the EWG, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% if they eat the cleanest produce (not sure if that means literally the cleanest –onions– or from one of the 15 cleanest).

The Green Daily notes the following great point: “The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (i.e. after being washed and peeled).” Also, “this dirty dozen list provides no information about antibiotics or hormones, or about the impact of producing food on the surrounding environment.” For these reasons, the Green Daily also recommends that if you eat meat, you eat organic meat for the following reasons:

“For overall environmental impact, meat is the king of foods, even if it’s not likely to be laced with pesticide residue… though a recent USDA Inspector General report [see here] found that the government is failing to even test meat for the harmful chemicals the law requires. While beef muscle is typically clean, beef fat is a different story altogether, with 10 different pesticides having been identified. Pork meat can be contaminated, but pork fat is more contaminated, with as many as 8 pesticides. For chicken, the thigh is most contaminated.”

I’ll just point out eating organic, grass-fed meat seems to be a better option than corn-fed non-organic meat; however, organic does not mean humane. Also, based on more and more books and articles I’ve read, and conversations I’ve had, eating less meat, organic or not — and animals rights aside — seems to be the most “eco-conscious” decision since meat is an inefficient “crop” that takes up way more natural resources than plants and most grains would.

I’ll also note that if you buy produce locally and in-season, it typically means less food miles which typically means your precious fruits and veggies haven’t been frozen for survival over long-trips. Also, if you can buy from Farmer’s Markets you can create a relationship with the farmer directly and ask him or her how they raise their crops. Just a thought, though, honestly, I don’t shop at farmers’ markets myself — but I do buy the dirty dozen organic as much as my measly college-budget permits.

Related Posts

• Why Organic Isn’t a Panacea

<3,

The Cranky One