The New "Dirty Dozen" List is Out!

All the more reason "organic" produce should be more common and reasonable for people to buy than chemically altered produce! The "dirty dozen" produce has over 67 different pesticides! I don't know about you but I don't want to be the guinea pig to see if it has side effects & what those might be! Try to buy organic whenever possible, you may not get to all the time but some of the time is better than never.
~ Remember, ANY fruit & veggie is definitely BETTER than any sugary, processed food! ~

*The following is EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce

EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

This year we have expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops -- green beans and leafy greens, meaning, kale and collard greens - that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops.

Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn.

Dirty Dozen Plus™ (Buy these organic)
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Nectarines – imported
7. Grapes
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Cucumbers
11. Blueberries – domestic
12. Potatoes
Plus
+ Green beans
+ Kale/Greens
+ May contain pesticide residues of special concern

Clean 15™ (Lowest in Pesticide)
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Cantaloupe - domestic
12. Sweet potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
15. Mushrooms