Focus Organic.com

For a number of reasons, purchasing organic produce is becoming increasingly popular, but it still remains too expensive for many. Switching over to organic groceries can be a difficult, and expensive, task. For those who want to start the switch, but cannot afford to buy all organic, it is important to know which fruits and vegetables are less contaminated with pesticides, and which are important to purchase organic. By avoiding the 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables, or buying them organic, we can lower our pesticide exposure by almost 90%.

12 Dirtiest

fruits and vegetables most likely to test positive for pesticides, you should purchase these organically

• Peaches- 96.6% of samples tested positive for pesticides, 86.6% for multiple pesticides
• Apples- 93.6% tested positive, 82.3% for multiple pesticides
• Sweet Bell Peppers- 81.5% tested positive, 62.2% for multiple pesticides
• Celery- 94.1% tested positive, 79.8% for multiple pesticides
• Nectarines- 97.3% tested positive, 85.3% for multiple pesticides
• Strawberries- 92.3% tested positive, 69.2% for multiple pesticides
• Cherries- 91.4% tested positive, 75.8% for multiple pesticides
• Lettuce- 68.2% tested positive, 44.3% for multiple pesticides
• Imported Grapes- 84.2% tested positive, 53.2% for multiple pesticides
• Pears- 86.2% tested positive, 45.7% for multiple pesticides
• Spinach- 70% tested positive, 31.2% for multiple pesticides
• Potatoes- 81% tested positive, 18% for multiple pesticides

12 Cleanest

fruits and vegetables that are least likely to test positive for pesticides

• Onions- only 0.2% of samples tested positive for pesticides, 0% for multiple pesticides
• Avocado- only 1.4% tested positive, 0% for multiple pesticides
• Frozen Sweet Corn- only 3.8% tested positive, 0% for multiple pesticides
• Pineapples- only 7.7% tested positive, 0.1% for multiple pesticides
• Mango- only 7.1% tested positive, 0.5% for multiple pesticides
• Frozen Sweet Peas- only 22.9% tested positive, 2.3% for multiple pesticides
• Asparagus- only 6.7% tested positive, 0.6% for multiple pesticides
• Kiwi- only 15.3% tested positive, 3.4% for multiple pesticides
• Bananas- 41.7% tested positive, but only 2% for multiple pesticides
• Cabbage- only 17.9% tested positive, 4.8% for multiple pesticides
• Brocolli- only 28.1% tested positive, 3.2% for multiple pesticides
• Eggplant- only 23.4% tested positive, 6.9% for multiple pesticides

The full list of sampled fruits and vegetables with all testing information can be seen on foodnews.org. Remember that these tests were completed after washing and/or peeling the fruits and vegetables in the manner that most people do, so washing does not necessarily mean your produce will be pesticide free.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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