Pesticide Levels in Produce-Check it out...

Ever wonder just how much pesticide is on your produce? Or, can you get by with some conventional produce every now and then? Maybe you can't find organic bananas and your kids love them. Should you buy conventional? Would it be that bad? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put together a list of produce ranking them from 100 to one one the amount of pesticide reside found on produce. One hundred is the worst.

Please check out a great website http://www.foodnews.org/ for the latest news on food from The Environmental Working Group (EWG).


About EWG-The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles.
In 2002, we founded the EWG Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.
EWG specializes in providing useful resources (like Skin Deep and the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce) to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change.

"There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible."-Food News, EWG (http://www.foodnews.org/)

Rank/Produce/Score
1(worst)/Peaches/100 (highest pesticide load)
2/Apples/96
3/Sweet Bell Peppers/86
4/Celery/85
5/Nectarines/84
6/Strawberries /83
7/Cherries/75
8/Lettuce/69
9/Grapes-imported/68
10/Pears/65
11/Spinach/60
12/Potatoes/58
13/Carrots/57
14/Green Beans/55
15/Hot Peppers/53
16/Cucumbers/52
17/Raspberries /47
18/Plums/46
19/Oranges/46
20/Cauliflower/39
22/Tangerine/38
23/Mushrooms/37
24/Cantaloupe/34
25/Lemon/31
26/Honeydew/31
27/Grapefruit/31
28/Winter Squash/31
29/Tomatoes/30
30/Sweet Potatoes/30
31/Watermelon/25
32/Blueberries /24
33/Papaya/21
34/Eggplant/19
35/Broccoli/18
36/Cabbage/17
37/Bananas/16
38/Kiwi/14
39/Asparagus/11
40/Sweet Peas-Frozen /11
41/Mango/9
42/Pineapples/7
43/Sweet Corn-Frozen/2
44/Avocado/1
45 (best)/Onions/1 (lowest pesticide in food)