The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) has identified 12 fruits and vegetables that are best to buy organic because they often are contaminated with pesticide residues. They identified two additional vegetables (leafy greens and summer squash) that contained highly toxic pesticides. EWG also identified 15 fruits and vegetables that tend to have the least pesticide residues.
EWG’s “Dirty Dozen Plus™” list for 2013 included:
- Grapes
- Apples
- Celery
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Hot Peppers
- Nectarines (imported)
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Strawberries and
- Sweet Bell Peppers
“Plus”
- Kale/Collard Greens and
- Summer Squash
EWG also created a “Clean Fifteen™” list of fruits and vegetables that they found to have the least pesticide residues.
The Clean Fifteen™ included:
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupe
- Sweet Corn
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Mangoes
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Papayas
- Pineapple
- Sweet Peas (frozen) and
- Sweet Potatoes
See “The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™,” The Environmental Working Group