Everyone can agree that buying chemical-free food is the best route. But when it comes to navigating a grocery store, the search for healthiest foods — even when selecting fruits and vegetables — can get confusing and costly for consumers.
With produce, the easiest thing to do is learn what’s “dirty” and what’s “clean.” Every year, the Environmental Working Group releases a list of the Dirty Dozen — the fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides when conventionally farmed and therefore should be bought organic. The EWG also does a Clean 15, a list of produce that has the least amount of pesticides, as a substitute for the Dirty Dozen items if shoppers don’t have or can’t afford an organic option.
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The Dirty Dozen:
The most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables:
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell peppers
Spinach
Cherries
Kale/collard greens
Potatoes
Grapes (imported)
The Clean 15:
The least pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables:
Onions
Avocado
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Mangos
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potato
Honeydew melon
Source: Environmental Working Group, 2010 lists