Updated "Dirty Dozen" Guide to Avoiding Pesticides in Your Food!

From the Environmental Working Group:

Did you know that the fruits and vegetables at your grocery store could be covered with bug killers, fungicides and other chemicals?

In fact, the most recent round of U. S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration tests have found detectible pesticide residues on 68 percent of food samples.

That's why EWG is committed to giving you the tools you need to buy safe and healthy produce for your family. We have just released our 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce - an update to the popular guide that helps you avoid the Dirty Dozen - those conventional fruits and vegetables highest in pesticide residues. We help you choose items from the Clean 15 list instead. Eat healthier and save money at the same time!

We've gone even bigger this year, adding new, eye-opening research like the Dirty Dozen Plus - with data on dangerous insecticides found on crops beyond the Dirty Dozen - and information on pesticides detected in certain baby foods.

Click here to see the fruits and vegetables with the most - and the least - pesticide residues and to check out our new research.

This year we've expanded the Dirty Dozen to the Dirty Dozen Plus. Green beans, kale and collard greens did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen standards but were commonly contaminated with organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some foods.

For the first time since the inception of its pesticide testing program in 1991, the USDA looked at pesticide residues on green beans, pears and sweet potatoes sold as baby food. Green beans used in baby food tested positive for five pesticides, including organophosphates linked to neurodevelopmental problems. Pears prepared as baby food showed significant and widespread contamination. Fortunately, sweet potatoes sold as baby food had virtually no detectable pesticide residues.

Disturbingly, the pesticide iprodione, which the Environmental Protection Agency has categorized as a probable human carcinogen, was detected on some samples of pears prepared as baby food. Iprodione is not registered with the EPA for use on pears. Its presence on this popular baby food constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

EWG always recommends eating more fruits and veggies and buying them organic if you can - for adults and babies. But sometimes organic produce can cost more or isn't available. That's why we created the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce - so you know which fruits and vegetables have the lowest pesticide residues and which you should try to buy organic. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day from the Clean 15 list rather than from the Dirty Dozen can lower your pesticide intake by up to 92 percent!

Check out this year's updated lists!

Want to take the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen with you to the grocery store? Donate $10 today and EWG will send you a free Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce bag tag. It features our Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists and is easy to hook onto your reusable shopping bag. We want to continue providing you and your family with great resources like the Shopper's Guide, but we need your help. Please donate today and get your free bag tag!

I hope you use EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce in your shopping!

Sincerely,
Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group