The Environmental Working Group’s new 2021 Dirty Dozen, Clean 15 list came out recently. I will share it below. The list indicates which crops tend to be treated with the highest volume and variety of pesticides. Definitely important information to have.
There are a few changes from last year. The biggest change from previous years is the inclusion of bell and hot peppers on the dirty dozen list. The report found that almost 70% of non-organic samples tested positive for at least one pesticide and a single sample of kale, collard and mustard greens contained up to 20 different pesticides! Even though citrus isn’t on the Dirty Dozen list it was found that almost 90% of citrus samples analyzed in 2020 tested positive for imazalil, a fungicide that can interfere with hormone levels. Spinach samples had 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop tested.
If that doesn’t convince you to choose organic whenever possible, I’m not sure what will.
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, collard, and mustard greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Bell and hot peppers
- Celery
- Tomatoes
Here is this year’s Clean 15 list:
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Honeydew melon
- Cantaloupes
While you do not have to purchase everything organic, I hope you will pay attention to the produce that is most contaminated and choose accordingly.
Do you purchase any of your produce organically?
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To be honest, I don’t buy organic foods for two reasons; cost and trust. So many things claim to be
“all-natural” and “organic”, but many are simply “marketing” and not true. Whenever we can, we buy local produce grown by local farmers we know and trust. Beyond that, we grow our own. I wish I had more time to do more of that. The first few years on our ranch we gave away more than we used from our garden, but it just became too much to deal with when I was still traveling with my consulting work. Watering, weeding, de-bugging, etc. would fall behind and if I was gone for two weeks, I would miss harvesting. Perhaps I can get back to gardening more now that I’m a “Covid leper.”
I hear you on the trust issue and buying from local farmers you know and trust is always best. I also grow some of my own. I don’t have a huge garden but I love being able to go out and pick fresh veggies during the summer months. We all just have to make the best choices we can and pray over our food trusting God to bless it!! Thanks my friend.