ORGANIC VS CONVENTIONAL
For years my husband has encouraged me to buy organic produce I did listen to him partly( like any good wife) and bought all organic for anything we ate raw for eg. spinach,baby carrots,celery,lettuce,bananas and berries. we also bought Organic milk and eggs. As for anything I cooked I bought conventional.There seems to be so much confusion as to what to buy organic and what is ok to buy conventional.
This guide from the EWG might help us understand what all this means:
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.
EWG’s 2018 Dirty Dozen™ and Clean Fifteen™ Lists
EWG releases the Dirty Dozen as part of its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™, which analyzes Department of Agriculture test data to identify which fruits and vegetables are most and least contaminated with pesticide residues. The Shopper’s Guide also includes the Clean Fifteen, a list of the fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of residues.
The Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen lists make it easier for you to decide which foods are safe and healthy to eat, and which are worth spending extra for when it comes to organic produce. We recommend buying organic produce whenever you can, but we also know that depending on the time of year or where you live, organic options aren’t always available.
The Dirty Dozen™
The following 12 fruit and veggies have tested positive for a number of different pesticide residues and showed the highest concentration of pesticides overall.
strawberries
One strawberry sample contained an astounding 22 pesticide residues.
One-third of all conventional strawberry samples contained 10 or more pesticides.
spinach
97 percent of conventional spinach samples contained pesticide residues.
Conventional spinach had relatively high concentrations of permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide.
nectarines
Nearly 94 percent of nectarine samples contained two or more pesticides.
One sample of conventionally grown nectarines contained residues of 15 pesticides.
apples
90 percent of conventional apples had detectable pesticide residues.
80 percent of apples tested contained diphenylamine, a pesticide banned in Europe.
grapes
Grapes contain an average of five pesticide residues.
More than 96 percent of conventional grapes test positive for pesticide residues.
peaches
More than 99 percent of conventional peaches had detectable pesticide residues.
An average of four pesticide residues were detected on conventional peaches.
cherries
An average of five pesticides were detected on conventional cherries.
30 percent of cherry samples contained iprodione, a pesticide not allowed in Europe, which may cause cancer.
pears
Pears contained several pesticides in relatively high concentrations, including insecticides and fungicides.
More than half of conventionally grown pears tested had residues of five or more pesticides.
tomatoes
Nearly four pesticides were detected on the average conventionally grown tomato.
One sample of conventional tomatoes contained 15 different pesticides and breakdown products.
celery
More than 95 percent of conventional celery samples tested positive for pesticides.
A maximum of 13 pesticides were detected on a sample of conventional celery.
potatoes
Conventional potatoes had more pesticide residues by weight than any other crop.
One pesticide in particular, chlorpropham, makes up the bulk of pesticides detected on potatoes.
sweet bell peppers
Almost 90 percent of conventional sweet bell pepper samples contained pesticide residues.
Sweet bell peppers can contain fewer pesticide residues than other Dirty Dozen foods, but the pesticides tend to be more toxic to human health.
strawberries have maintained their top spot again this year. One-third of all strawberries tested contained 10 or more pesticides. Meanwhile, grapes fell three spots this year, which shouldn’t come as a surprise when you learn that 96% of conventional grapes tested positive for pesticide residues.
The Clean Fifteen™
The following 15 fruit and veggies showed the least amount of pesticide residues and lowest concentration of pesticides in tests.
avocados
Fewer than 1 percent of conventional avocados tested positive for pesticides.
Only one pesticide was found on any of the 360 avocados sampled.
sweet corn
Less than 2 percent of sweet corn samples had any detected pesticide residues.
A small amount of sweet corn is grown from Roundup Ready genetically engineered seeds. Buy organic corn to avoid GE crops.
pineapples
90 percent of conventional pineapples had no detectable pesticide residues.
Only five different pesticides were detected on more than 350 conventional pineapple samples.
cabbages
Only two of more than 700 cabbage samples contained more than one pesticide residue.
86 percent of cabbage samples contained no detectable pesticide residue.
onions
Less than 10 percent of conventional onion samples contained any pesticide residues.
No conventional onion samples contained more than three pesticides.
sweet peas frozen
Roughly 80 percent of conventional frozen sweet peas had no detectable pesticide residues.
No sample of frozen sweet peas contained more than two pesticides.
papayas
80 percent of conventional papayas had no detectable pesticide residues.
None of the nearly 750 samples of conventionally grown papayas tested contained more than three pesticides.
asparagus
90 percent of conventional asparagus samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
No more than three pesticides were detected on any conventional asparagus sample.
mangoes
78 percent of mango samples contained no detectable pesticide residues.
No more than two pesticides were detected on any conventionally grown mangoes in USDA tests.
eggplants
About three-fourths of all conventional eggplants tested contained no pesticide residues.
No more than three pesticide residues were detected on any sample of conventionally grown eggplant.
honeydew melons
About half of all conventionally grown honeydew melons had no detectable pesticide residues.
No more than four pesticides and breakdown products were detected on honeydew samples.
kiwis
65 percent of kiwi samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
Only six different pesticides were detected on any of the conventionally grown kiwis tested.
cantaloupes
More than 60 percent of conventional cantaloupe samples contained no detectable pesticide residues.
Only about 10 percent of cantaloupe samples contained more than one pesticide residue.
cauliflower
About half of all conventionally grown cauliflower samples contained no detectable pesticide residues.
No single cauliflower sample contained more than three detectable pesticide residues.
broccoli
70 percent of broccoli samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
Only one in ten broccoli samples contained more than one pesticide residue.
Snagging this year’s top spot — with fewer than 1% of samples testing positive for pesticides — is the humble, healthy fat-rich avocado! Broccoli managed to squeeze out grapefruit for this year’s final spot in the Clean Fifteen with an impressive 70% of samples having no detectable pesticide residue.
Want these lists for yourself?
To dowload a copy please go to:https://www.ewg.org/foodnews
EWG has also put out a full version of the produce guide with a few other good/bad fruit and veg options. Check out the full 48 and see how the new additions — like kale and cucumbers — stack up against the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen.
So now that you have your lists at the ready — Make sure you wash them properly , under running water, soaking them in water and vinegar,scrubbing with a mild brush and wiping them clean, depending on the type of produce.