While feeding the family on all-organic food is ideal, unfortunately it isn't financially feasible for most of us. So which non-organic fruit and veg can we consume safely, and which may be potentially harming our health?
Research from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in the US has found that people who eat certain fruit and vegetables (which they've dubbed the "Dirty Dozen") consume an average of 10 different pesticides a day.
To make it easier for consumers to determine which fruit and vegies to purchase organic, the EWG has released a guide to pesticides. Here are their pick of the losers in the pesticide stakes (buy these organic).
Dirty dozen
- celery;
- peaches;
- strawberries;
- apples;
- blueberries;
- nectarines;
- capsicum;
- spinach;
- cherries;
- kale/collard;
- greens;
- potatoes; and
- grapes (imported).
Here are the foods that are the lowest in pesticides, which the EWG calls the "Clean 15". These are OK to buy non-organic.
Clean 15
- onions;
- avocado;
- sweet corn;
- pineapple;
- mangos;
- sweet peas;
- asparagus;
- kiwifruit;
- cabbage;
- eggplant;
- cantaloupe;
- watermelon;
- grapefruit;
- sweet potato;
- honeydew; and
- melon.
Visit foodnews.org for more, or watch the video below, for more about eating organic produce:
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