Are some nonorganic vegetables safer than others? The answer seems to be a qualified “yes.”
Based on data from nearly 87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce (collected by the U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, analysts from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have developed a shopper’s guide to vegetables containing the most and least pesticides (see Foodnews.org).
Based on this guide, you might want to buy the organic versions of these vegetables: peach, apple, bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grape, carrot, and pear, as these are on the EWG’s “dirty dozen.”
The fewest pesticides, generally in produce with the thickest skins, are found in onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, swet pea, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potato.
EWG researchers indicate that people who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than two pesticides a day, while people who eat the 12 most contaminated produce take in an average of 10 pesticides daily. Their conclusions: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce, and buy organic when possible. I often buy COSTCO’s avocados and grapefruit, non-organic but huge, flavorful, economical buys.
In addition to the food-news Website mentioned above, www.earthshare.org is another good source of information. And www.responsibleconsumer.net, www.betterworldshopper.com, and www.greenamericatoday, are all good sources.
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