Dirty Dozen

Every year the US Environmental Working Group releases its ‘Dirty Dozen - Clean Fifteen’ lists. These show the fruits and vegetables with the most and least pesticide residues after washing, respectively. They are referring to non-organic produce, of course. Whilst we are all encouraged to eat organically, it is not always possible or financially feasible. Therefore a practical compromise is to use these lists as a guide to prioritise buying organic for the ‘Dirty 12’ whilst saving money on non-organic for the ‘Clean 15’.

So, here is the recently-published list for 2019:

Dirty 12 (in order from the highest residues)

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Kale

4. Nectarines

5. Apples

6. Grapes

7. Peaches

8. Cherries

9. Pears

10. Tomatoes

11. Celery

12. Potatoes

Clean 15 (in order from the least residues)

1. Avocadoes

2. Sweet corn

3. Pineapples

4. Peas (frozen)

5. Onions

6. Papayas

7. Eggplants/aubergines

8. Asparagus

9. Kiwis

10. Cabbage

11. Cauliflower

12. Cantaloupes (melon)

13. Broccoli

14. Mushrooms

15. Honeydew (melon)

It is really important to ensure we each consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day; preferably nearer 10. ‘Eat a rainbow’: these portions should incorporate as many colours as possible to give us the widest variety of plant nutrients and antioxidants. It is therefore better to eat fruits and vegetables that are not organic, than none at all. “The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure” (EWG, 2019)