It’s that time of year again, when we learn just how “down and dirty” our conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are and which ones have the distinction of being the dirtiest. Once again, we all have a reason to contemplate growing some of our own organically produced foods, especially those that top the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list for 2017; namely, strawberries and spinach.
Introducing the Dirty Dozen for 2017
The EWG’s analysis of 48 types of conventionally grown produce revealed that nearly 70 percent of samples were contaminated with one or more pesticides out of the 178 different chemicals and products from the pesticides, they discovered. Residues of these toxins remained on the produce even after the fruits and vegetables were washed and, in,some cases, peeled.
The top dozen dirtiest fruits and vegetables, starting with the worst offenders, are strawberries (with 20 different pesticides), spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and potatoes. Most of these items are familiar to the Dirty Dozen list, but a notable newcomer is pears.
