2014 Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen – What you need to know

2014 Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen - What you need to know

Which fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of pesticides?

The EWG has done it again. They have published this year’s list of fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest levels of pesticides. They have cleverly separated the fruits and vegetables into the Clean Fifteen- the produce with the lowest levels and the Dirty Dozen Plus- the produce with the highest levels.

Who is the EWG?

The EWG is the Environmental Working Group that has worked hard to make sure the public knows which fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticides. They have played an instrumental role in the last 20 years pushing through legalization to protect Americans from dangerous pesticides.

How Do They Decide the List?

According to their website, the EWG uses six measurements to test the pesticide levels. Here are those six measurements:

  1. The percent of samples that have tested with detectable pesticides.
  2. The percent of samples that found two or more detectible pesticides.
  3. The average number of pesticides found on a single sample.
  4. The average number of pesticides found when measured in parts per million.
  5. Maximum number of pesticides found a sample.
  6. Lastly, the total number of pesticides found on the commodity.

2014’s Clean 15

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet Corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Cabbage
  5. Sweet Peas – Frozen
  6. Onions
  7. Asparagus
  8. Mangoes
  9. Papayas
  10. Kiwi
  11. Eggplant
  12. Grapefruit
  13. Cantaloupe
  14. Cauliflower
  15. Sweet Potatoes

The Dirty Dozen Plus

  1. Apples
  2. Strawberries
  3. Grapes
  4. Celery
  5. Peaches
  6. Spinach
  7. Sweet Bell Peppers
  8. Nectarines – Imported
  9. Cucumbers
  10. Cherry Tomatoes
  11. Snap Peas – Imported
  12. Potatoes
  13. Hot Peppers
  14. Kale/Collard Greens

Before You Give Up Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Remember for adults, it is recommended to eat 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables a day. What does the EWG have to say about eating fruits and vegetables from the dirty dozen list?

“The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG’s Shopper’s Guide™ to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally grown produce is better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.”

Summary

The lesson learned today? Eat your fruits and vegetables. You can avoid fruits and vegetables with higher pesticide levels 3 different ways,

  1. By buying organic
  2. Growing your own
  3. Purchasing from the Clean 15 list.

Your Turn

Does the EWG’s Shoppers List cause you the change the way you purchase produce? Please let us know in the comment section below.

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