Sounds like a movie title – No, it’s about what you eat.
The DIRTY DOZEN are the 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables and the CLEAN FIFTEEN (fewer pesticides) ewg.org publishes every year from The U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Meet the DIRTY DOZEN
Now the CLEAN FIFTEEN
These 15 items had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data. Avocados Sweet corn Avocados/sweet corn: cleanest; less than 2% showing any detectable pesticides. Pineapple Onions Papaya Sweet peas (frozen) Asparagus Honeydew melon Kiwi Cabbage Mushrooms Cantaloupe Mangoes Watermelon Sweet Potatoes
EWG’s goal is:
to educate the public about fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide residues so consumers can make the best decisions for their families.
For more information at EWG’s, GO HERE. You can also sign up for their emails. For a $15 donation, they will send a convenient guide to carry with you listing both the DIRTY DOZEN and CLEAN FIFTEEN.
Through the years EWG has included medical documentation, i.e., 4/29/19 from NIH examining the association between intake of fruits and vegetables by pesticide residue status and coronary heart disease risk. Click here for more information.
If you are familiar with bees and pollination equal vegetables and fruits, they include interesting articles. Just one is April 7, 2022, Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., VP, Science Investigations and Alexis M Temkin, Ph.D., Toxicologist: Neonic pesticides: Banned in Europe but common on U.S. produce, lethal to bees and include a produce residue list ranging from spinach at 61% to cherries 31%. Retailers like Costco, Walmart, Aldi, Kroger, Giant Eagle, ad Bj’s are either limiting or stopping the sale of certain insecticides. Read more here.
However, there are some who take exception. One example is an article in AGDAILY.COM “A dozen reasons to ditch the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list for good” by Food science baby (AG DAILY: “Any views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect those of AGDAILY. Comments on this article reflect the sole opinions of their writers.” Food Science Babe is the pseudonym of an agvocate and writer who focuses specifically on the science behind our food. She has a degree in chemical engineering and has worked in the food industry for more than a decade, both in the conventional and in the natural/organic sectors.
EWG’s financial and in-kind support has also been questioned.
Although aware of the various conversations, every year I look forward to the DIRTY DOZEN and CLEAN FIFTEEN lists. Hope you might also.
Having read about “potatoes”, I thought you might like to see my BEFORE and AFTER photos this year.
We have all experienced the BEFORE. I cut the potato in Photo 1 into chunks and stuck the pieces into the soil. This year I will enjoy pesticide-free home-grown potatoes.
DIRTY or CLEAN?
HOW IS YOUR GARDEN GROWING?