Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables

Pursuant to yesterday’s post—which linked to Mark Bittman’s article about how eating better doesn’t have to mean eating organic—it is important to know that the organic versions of certain fruits and vegetables should be eaten whenever possible.

The Environmental Working Group just updated its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which lists 47 fruits and vegetables and their corresponding pesticide levels.

The foods with the highest pesticide loads are peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines and strawberries. If possible, choose organic for these fruits and vegetables.

On the other end of the spectrum, onions, avocados, frozen corn, pineapples, mangoes and asparagus are relatively free of pesticides when grown conventionally.