Not everybody can afford to buy completely organic food all of the time. And
in some areas, the available selection of organic food is less than complete
(and that’s not to mention the complication factor of the pollution generated by
transporting organic food over long distances).
One solution to the problem is to focus on choosing organic when you are
purchasing those foods that carry the heaviest burden of pesticides, chemicals,
additives and hormones when grown conventionally. With the help of several
organizations that have conducted extensive research into the topic, we’ve
compiled two lists that will help stretch your organic spending power and reduce
your family’s exposure to harmful chemicals. We recommend that you choose
locally grown, in-season food, which, of course, varies depending on where you
live.
High Pesticide Load Produce
These fruits and vegetables are most commonly heavily sprayed with
pesticides, so it is recommended that you buy organic or avoid them altogether
if you can’t find organic:
- Peaches – Multiple pesticides are regularly applied to these delicately
skinned fruits in conventional orchards, putting them at the top of the high
pesticide list. Can’t find organic? Some safer alternatives with similar
nutrients are water- melon, tangerines, oranges and grapefruit.
- Apples – Scrubbing and peeling doesn’t eliminate chemical residue completely.
Anyway, peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many nutrients. Substitute
watermelon or tangerines for similar nutritional value.
- Sweet Bell Peppers – Peppers’ thin skins don’t offer much of a barrier to
pesticides, which are often heavily sprayed onto this insect-prone crop.
Instead, eat green peas, broccoli, asparagus and cabbage.
- Celery – Celery’s lack of protective skin means it’s almost impossible to wash
off the chemicals that are used on conventional crops. Less-sprayed substitutes
include broccoli, radishes and onions.
- Strawberries – If you buy strawberries out of season, they’re most likely
imported from countries that have less-stringent regulations for pesticide use.
Alternatives could be blueberries, kiwi and pineapples.
- Lettuce and Spinach – Salad greens are frequently contaminated with the most
potent pesticides used on food. So if you can’t find organic salad fixings (or
don’t want to buy imported organic), eat cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels
sprouts instead.
- Carrots – Carrots host many insects and are highly sprayed with pesticides, some
of which are systemic and can’t be removed by peeling. Substitute sweet potato
or broccoli.
Potatoes – Potatoes rank high for pesticide residue as well as fungicides added
to the soil. Conventionally grown eggplant and cabbage are sprayed less.
Lower Pesticide Load Produce
Lower pesticide levels are generally present in the following conventionally
grown foods, so if you if you can’t afford to buy 100 percent organic, here is a
good place to save:
Asparagus
Avocados
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower |
Corn
Eggplant
Kiwi
Onions
Oranges/Tangerines
|
Pineapple
Sweet Peas
Sweet Potatoes
Watermelon |
Learn More
The non-profit Environmental Working Group produces a free downloadable Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce,
based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on
produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005.
The non-profit Organic Center offers a
free download of a wallet-sized four-fold guide called Organic Essentials. It
presents pesticide risk rankings for several key fruits and vegetables and is
based on The Organic Center’s March 2008 report Simplifying the Pesticide Risk
Equation: The Organic Option.
To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to
Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly Food by Cindy Burke (Da
Capo Press, 2007
The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide by Jeff Cox (Wiley,
2008)
A Field Guide to Buying Organic by Luddene Perry and
Dan Schultz (Bantam, 2005)
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