Fugi apples?
Originally uploaded by thegreenpages
While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a list based on a 5 year analysis (completed in 2005), that shows which food consistently scored the highest in pesticide levels and toxicity and which scored the lowest.
Even though it is based on U.S. information, it is still relevant to Canadians as 80 percent of our produce is imported – where the majority of it comes from south of the border.
The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies
|
|
|
|
|
1 (worst) |
Peaches |
100 (highest pesticide load) |
|
2 |
Apples |
96 |
|
3 |
Sweet Bell Peppers |
86 |
|
4 |
Celery |
85 |
|
5 |
Nectarines |
84 |
|
6 |
Strawberries |
83 |
|
7 |
Cherries |
75 |
|
8 |
Lettuce |
69 |
|
9 |
Grapes – Imported |
68 |
|
10 |
Pears |
65 |
|
11 |
Spinach |
60 |
|
12 |
Potatoes |
58 |
|
13 |
Carrots |
57 |
|
14 |
Green Beans |
55 |
|
15 |
Hot Peppers |
53 |
|
16 |
Cucumbers |
52 |
|
17 |
Raspberries |
47 |
|
18 |
Plums |
46 |
|
19 |
Oranges |
46 |
|
20 |
Grapes-Domestic |
46 |
|
21 |
Cauliflower |
39 |
|
22 |
Tangerine |
38 |
|
23 |
Mushrooms |
37 |
|
24 |
Cantaloupe |
34 |
|
25 |
Lemon |
31 |
|
26 |
Honeydew Melon |
31 |
|
27 |
Grapefruit |
31 |
|
28 |
Winter Squash |
31 |
|
29 |
Tomatoes |
30 |
|
30 |
Sweet Potatoes |
30 |
|
31 |
Watermelon |
25 |
|
32 |
Blueberries |
24 |
|
33 |
Papaya |
21 |
|
34 |
Eggplant |
19 |
|
35 |
Broccoli |
18 |
|
36 |
Cabbage |
17 |
|
37 |
Bananas |
16 |
|
38 |
Kiwi |
14 |
|
39 |
Asparagus |
11 |
|
40 |
Sweet Peas-Frozen |
11 |
|
41 |
Mango |
9 |
|
42 |
Pineapples |
7 |
|
43 |
Sweet Corn-Frozen |
2 |
|
44 |
Avocado |
1 |
|
45 (best) |
Onions |
1 (lowest pesticide load) |
Note: We ranked a total of 44 different fruits and vegetables but
grapes are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported
samples.
Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce by
Environmental Working Group is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
