Earlier today, I came across a really eye-opening news story on CNN.com. The site reported that the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit focused on public health, had examined almost 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine how many toxins we were taking in. The group then came up with a list, called the Dirty Dozen, of 12 fruits and vegetables that contained a whopping 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. Switch to organic with these foods, and–according Dr. Sanjay Gupta–you could lower your pesticide intake by as much as 80 percent.
I went to the EWG’s website to learn more. In addition to the Dirty Dozen, the group has also assembled a produce group called the Clean Fifteen. It turns out that those of us who are being good and eating five servings of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables a day are also getting about 10 servings of pesticides a day. If they were to chose from this “clean” group (or, presumably, eat organic), they could reduce that number down to two. What put a food in one category or another? For the bad ones, researchers believe it has to do with how soft and absorptive the item’s skin is. For the clean group, the protection comes from thick skins that you also don’t eat.
The takeaway is one you’ve probably heard before: Buy organic if you plan on eating the peel. But here was something new to me–I learned that washing fruits and vegetables (even blasting them with water, as the USDA did in the lab tests the EWG evaluated) will do some, but not a whole lot to remove pesticides. Scary? You bet! But also empowering. It’s impressive that there’s such an easy way to control our intake of certain chemicals–be it switching to organic for the worst offenders, or (if the cost is prohibitive or if you can’t find organic in your area) reducing your intake in favor of some safer, and equally delicious, choices.
Below, I’ve listed the groups. You can also download this from the EWG’s consumer website, and get them as an iPhone app (look for the Shoppers Guide to Pesticides).
Dirty Dozen (buy these organic)
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes (Imported)
Clean Fifteen (least contaminated; you can buy these conventional)
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mangos
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potato
Honeydew Melon
Facebook
Camille
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Thank you for sharing this helpful information about organic with your readers. When it comes to what people buy, the Organic Trade Association would caution people against the idea of limiting their organic purchases to the list of items you outline in this blog. Doing so misses an important point: buying organic is about more than keeping pesticides out of our bodies. It is about supporting a system of sustainable agricultural management that promotes soil health and fertility through the use of such methods as crop rotation and cover cropping, which nourish plants, foster species diversity, help combat climate change, prevent damage to valuable water resources, and protect farmers and farmers’ families from exposure to harmful chemicals. In this sense, buying organic is a commitment to the bigger, more complex picture of which our personal health is a part.
In thinking about which organic products to buy, consider this: instead of focusing your organic purchases on a particular group of items, choose organic versions of the products you buy most. Whether that is milk, produce, or personal care products, buying organic will not only help reduce your exposure to harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, but also support a system of agricultural management that is great for the planet.
Organic. It’s worth it.