Eating fruits and vegetables daily is a healthy lifestyle choice but there is a lurking danger in the produce department.
In an effort to maximize yield and provide a visually appealing product to the consumer pesticides are used at various timees in the growing cycle. These pesticides often remain on the produce and end up being ingested.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) performed extensive testing on produce and came up with a list of fruits and vegetables ordered by pesticide levels from worst to best. Peaches and apples rated the worst with onions and avocados having the least amount of pesticides.
Here is the complete list of produce ranking as developed by the EWG.
- Peaches (highest pesticide levels)
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes - Imported
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Hot Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Raspberries
- Plums
- Oranges
- Grapes-Domestic
- Cauliflower
- Tangerine
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Lemon
- Honeydew Melon
- Grapefruit
- Winter Squash
- Tomatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Watermelon
- Blueberries
- Papaya
- Eggplant
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Bananas
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas-Frozen
- Mango
- Pineapples
- Sweet Corn-Frozen
- Avocado
- Onions (lowest pesticide levels)
You can download a printable Wallet Size Pesticide Guide that shows you which produce is on the 12 worst and best list of pesticide levels or View the Complete Set of Test Results.
The EWG makes these three recommendations to limit your exposure to pesticides from produce:
- Vary what you eat to minimize exposure to the worst produce.
- Wash all produce carefully.
- Choose organic whenever possible.
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