The Environmental Working Group has just released their annual list of 15 fruits and veggies that they consider the ‘cleanest’ when it comes to pesticide residue.
The EWG recommends buying organic whenever possible. Not only is it smart to reduce your exposure to pesticides, but buying organic sends a message that you support environmentally friendly farming practices that minimize soil erosion, safeguard workers and protect water quality and wildlife. Knowing that organic is not always the affordable option, the EWG created the Shopper’s Guide to help consumers make the healthiest choices given their circumstances. That said, the EWG always recommends eating fruits and vegetables, even conventionally grown, over processed foods and other less healthy alternatives.
The guide is based on an analysis of more than 28,000 samples taken by the USDA and FDA. The EWG looked at six measures of pesticide contamination, gave each measurement a score from one to 100 and compiled the results. They found that no single fruit sample tested positive for more than four types of pesticides and seven percent of samples had just one pesticide detected.
And what about GMOs?
Here’s what the EWG says about GMOs:
Genetically modified plants, or GMOs, are not often found in the produce section of grocery stores. Field corn, nearly all of which is produced with genetically modified seeds, is used to make tortillas, chips, corn syrup, animal feed and biofuels. Because it is not sold as a fresh vegetable, it is not included in EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Nor is soy, another heavily GMO crop that makes its way into processed food.
The genetically modified crops likely to be found in produce aisles of American supermarkets are zucchini, Hawaiian papaya and some varieties of sweet corn. Most Hawaiian papaya is a GMO. Only a small fraction of zucchini and sweet corn are GMO. Since U.S. law does not require labeling of GMO produce, EWG advises people who want to avoid it to purchase the organically-grown versions of these items.
So what made the list for this year’s Clean 15? Continue reading
