A new Dirty Dozen, a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest residues of pesticides based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data, was released Monday.
The list was prep
ared by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer watchdog organization, as its 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.
The Clean 15 is a list of the least contaminated foods of those tested.
Apples, ranked as the fourth most contaminated produce item last year, jumped to the top of the Dirty Dozen list this year.
Also new this year is the herb cilantro, which didn’t make the Dirty Dozen but was the 13th most contaminated produce item.
If you want to avoid pesticide residues, you should buy organic — not conventionally grown — versions of the Dirty Dozen foods, according to the EWG.
USDA residue data pertain to foods as they are typically eaten, meaning washed, rinsed or peeled.
To see where your favorite foods rank, view the full list at www.foodnews.org. You also can print out a wallet-size guide to the lists for handy reference.
The ‘Dirty Dozen’
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines, imported
7. Grapes, imported
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries, domestic
11. Lettuce
12. Kale / collard greens
The ‘Clean 15’
1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe, domestic
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms
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