If you are interested in buying organic products, I wanted to let you know the new Dirty Dozen for 2011 has been released. This is a list of produce items that tend to have the highest levels of pesticide residue (even after being washed and peeled). So if you are interested in organics, these products are the ones that you want to focus on:
Here is the updated list of Dirty Dozen items:
- Apples
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Nectarines — imported
- Grapes — imported
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
- Blueberries — domestic
- Lettuce
- Kale/Collard Greens
Those are the products you want to try to look for in organics if possible. I tend to focus on berries, grapes and lettuce myself and I found it interesting that potatoes are also included in the list!
The Clean 15 include:
- Onions
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe — domestic
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
So that list reflects the produce items that have the lowest amount of pesticide residue. So it isn’t as important to get those products in organic which is great news because many of those products are super cheap in stores right now!
You can print a handy little list to keep with you of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 here.
I am finding that organic produce is going down in price at the stores I shop at. The most important thing to remember though is that any fresh produce is better than no fresh produce!
Very interesting! Thanks for posting… It’s weird that sweet potatoes and clean and regular potatoes are dirty… And apples, that is like my LO’s favorite fruit/snack:-(
Thanks for the info! Speaking of produce…Sam’s Club has LARGE containers (12oz) of Organic Raspberries for $3.40 right now, which is a steal considering that a container half that size is usually about $4.99 anywhere else!
Thanks for the lists! I buy mostly organic produce already but I need to switch to organic spinach and lettuce it looks like.
Let’s see. That is a good deal because I was looking at one of the ads that had them for $2 for 6oz. Can’t think of where but that is cheaper.
I just heard on the radio yesterday that non-organic apples top the list as the highest in pesticide residue levels so make sure you add that to your organic only list. I was surprised by potatoes too, but my sister told me that they plant potatoes in soil fields where high pesticide foods were previously grown and they “soak up” all the residual pesticides that are in the soil as they are tubers and grow underground. Pretty interesting and surprising stuff.
Just want to mention though that you should still buy organic corn. Most corn (and corn products) in the US is genetically modified. Organic foods are not so to be safe, go with organic. It’s harder to find, you may have to look for frozen. I try to stay away because I believe they are harmful and I realize GMOs are everywhere. I also think if I know about it I should stop eating it and the more consumers who do the more likely it is the industry will get the message. Europe has banned it, we need the same here. Ok I’m off my soapbox 🙂
Thank you for posting this! I have not yet moved to organics, but have been thinking about it a lot recently, and kept meaning to find this list. Thank for doing the work for me! =)
I have to agree on the apples… I used to work for a health publishing co. and edited lots of articles about the many pesticides used for apples, not just the fruit but apple juice as well. I only try to buy organic fuji apples at a local store and you can really taste the difference between organic and regular. Organics do not look as pretty and shiny but is sweeter and has more ‘apple’ taste. If I cannot find organic apples, I just don’t buy them at all. I’d rather not eat them.
Thank you for postinf this! I had no idea the list changed year to year! We do eat mostly organic to avoid pesticides and GMO’s, often eating frozen produce because it ends up be cheaper, but in summer the price for fresh goes down a lot! 🙂
I’m curious, if you peel the fruit…such as a peach…is it safer to eat? Are the pesticides mostly just in the skin?
Jessica, I am not an expert by any means but I don’t think it matters with soft fruits or like potatoes and stuff. The agency that compiles these reports washes and peels a lot of the fruit they test. I kind of look at it like smoking. I personally can’t stand the smell of cigarettes and if someone came into my car and smoked one well I would smell it for weeks even if I took the car in for a thorough detail, I would still smell it.