Eat fruits and vegetables! … That’s the message from Environmental Working Group. Eating conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are far better than not eating them at all.
But here is the problem.
There are pesticides, when exposed, can be harmful to our health.
So EWG publishes a consumers’ guide every year to help us decide which produce is less toxic in its “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™”
This year, there were a few changes, especially in the dark leafy green vegetable family.
For the second year, we have expanded the Dirty Dozen™ with a Plus category to highlight two crops – domestically-grown summer squash and leafy greens, specifically kale and collards. These crops did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen™ criteria but were commonly contaminated with pesticides exceptionally toxic to the nervous system. Though the Environmental Protection Agency has been restricting the uses of the most toxic pesticides, they are still detected on some foods. For example, green beans were on last year’s Plus list because they were often contaminated with two highly toxic organophosphates. Those pesticides are being withdrawn from agriculture. But leafy greens still show residues of organophosphates and other risky pesticides. That’s why they are on the Plus list for 2013.
Eeek…that’s not what I wanted to hear. I love kale chips but now I have to make sure to buy organic kale.
The problem with harmful organochlorine pesticides is that although they “were phased out of agriculture in the 1970s and 1980s but that linger on some farm fields” so even squashes and zucchinis can still have traces of them, according to EWG.
How about GMO’s?
Fresh produce are typically NOT GMO’s except for Hawaiian papayas and some sweet corns (Eeek!)
The genetically modified crops likely to be found in produce aisles of American supermarkets are zucchini, Hawaiian papaya and some varieties of sweet corn. Most Hawaiian papaya is a GMO. Only a small fraction of zucchini and sweet corn are GMO. Since U.S. law does not require labeling of GMO produce, EWG advises people who want to avoid it to purchase the organically-grown versions of these items.
Here is the list of “Dirty Dozen Plus”
- Apples
- Celeries
- Cheery Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Grapes
- Hot Peppers
- Nectarines (Imported)
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Sweet Bell peppers
- Kale/Collard Greens
- Summer Squash
Clean Fifteen
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupe
- Sweet Corn
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Mangos
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Papaya
- Pineapples
- Sweet peas- frozen
- Sweet Potatoes
Remember…eating ANY fruits and vegetables is better than NOT eating them. So join your local CSA, support small farmers, buy organic, or “safe” produce from the Clean Fifteen list.
