The Dirty Dozen Must Have Organic Fruits And Veggies

The “Dirty Dozen” is a list created by The Environmental Working Group meant to help consumers make smart and economically sound choices about their organic food purchases. The list tells consumers which fruits and veggies are the most important to buy organic. The dirty dozen themselves are the worst fruit and veggie offenders - i.e. the dozen fruits and veggies that contain the highest known amounts of pesticides.

The group released their newest version of the list in 2009 and it’s available for download (handy for shopping trips).

The current 2009 Dirty Dozen list; i.e. most pesticide ridden produce items are...
 

1. Peaches (worst)
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Imported Grapes
11. Carrots
12. Pears
     

And the current ten safest conventional produce buys (i.e. produce with least amount of pesticides) are…

1. Onions (best)
2. Avocados
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mangos
6. Asparagus
7. Frozen Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant

How to use the list to your advantage:

• If an item is on the actual top 12 dirty dozen list you should buy that produce in organic not conventional form. This will offer the best protection for your family from unnecessary pesticides and chemicals.
• If an items is on the Dirty Dozen list, you need to make sure to buy all forms of that product in organic. That means buying not only organic grapes and apples, but also buying organic apple juice, organic applesauce, organic raisins, organic grape jelly, and so on.
• If you're looking to save cash on organics, the list can help you choose which fruits and veggies are safer to buy in conventional form, which are often cheaper than organics. Saving money on lower pesticide foods allows you to earmark more money for high pesticide foods.