News Coverage
On The Fridge
Published July 15, 2003
Organic peaches for $2.99 vs. conventional peaches for $1.99 per pound. Organic strawberries for $3.49 vs. conventional strawberries for $1.99 per pound.
Is the extra money well spent?
Consider the particular food's tendency to contain residual pesticides. One approach is to select organic when purchasing fruits and vegetables that tend to carry high loads of pesticides and to choose conventional when selecting foods that tend to rate low in pesticides.
How to keep the various foods straight? Following are lists of foods rated by the Environmental Working Group, a not-for-profit environmental research organization.
Foods That Tend to Be High in Pesticides
FRUITS:
Apples
Cherries
Grapes (Imported)
Peaches
Pears
Red Raspberries
Strawberries
VEGETABLES:
Bell Peppers
Celery
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Spinach
Foods That Tend to Be Low in Pesticides
FRUITS:
Avocados
Bananas
Blueberries
Grapefruit
Papaya
Kiwi
Pineapples
Plantains
Plums
Watermelon
Mangoes
VEGETABLES:
Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Eggplant
Okra
Onions
Radishes