Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases a Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce report that details which fruits and veggies are the least—and most—contaminated by pesticides. The guide is designed to help you make healthy and informed choices and reduce your exposure to toxic pesticides.
For the third year in a row, strawberries top the “Dirty Dozen” list of the most pesticide-tainted produce, with one-third of all conventional strawberry samples containing 10 or more pesticides. One sample even contained 22 pesticide residues.
The other fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list are:
| · Spinach | · Nectarines |
| · Apples | · Grapes |
| · Peaches | · Cherries |
| · Pears | · Tomatoes |
| · Celery | · Potatoes |
| · Sweet bell peppers |
While pesticides boost crop yields, multiple studies have linked pesticides in produce to conditions like asthma, cancer, fertility issues and brain conditions. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station recommends rinsing produce under water for 30 seconds to get rid of pesticide residues. For more information, visit EWG’s website.
For further information and helpful links, please download our June 2018 Live Well, Work Well Newsletter:
