A Guide to Organic Produce


*12 Foods To Buy Organic*
Unfortunately, washing your produce will not ensure that it is free of harmful chemicals, since some residue can remain inside fruits and vegetables. You can reduce exposure to pesticides in food by buying organic produce. These are the 12 most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables.
	1. Strawberries	7. Celery
	70% of the strawberry samples tested by the FDA tested positive for one or more pesticides.	81% of the 188 celery samples tested positive for pesticide residues, more than any other crop analyzed.
	2. Bell Peppers (U.S./Mex)	8. Apples
	64% of the sweet pepper crop from the U.S. and Mexico contained residues of at least one pesticide, and 36% contain two or more pesticides.	Apples also have more different pesticides on them than any other fruit or vegetable.
	3. Spinach	9. Apricots
	The cancer potency of the average total residue on spinach was the highest of any of the produce analyzed.	Apricots contain consistently high levels of multiple pesticides, including carcinogens like captan on 35% of all samples.
	4. Cherries (U.S.)	10. Green Beans
	71% of the U.S. grown samples contained residues of one or more pesticides, compared with 35% of imported samples.	Green beans ranked 5th out of 42 crops in the neurotoxic potency of the average residue, 6th in average residue of endocrine disrupting pesticides, and 19th in the cancer potency of the average residue.

	5. Peaches	11. Grapes (Chile)
	71% of the peach crop sampled by the FDA tested positive for pesticides.	From January through April, 90% of the grapes eatin in the U.S. come from Chile, where growers use less sophisticated pest control techniques than in the U.S. Consequently, a far higher % of chilean crop test positive for pesticides.
	6. Cantaloupe (Mexico)	12. Cucumbers
	Nearly 15% of cantaloupes consumed each year in the U.S. come from Mexico. 76% of the samples tested positive for at least one pesticide, number three overall.	Cucumbers have residues of a cancer-causing insecticide, dieldrin, which was banned in the U.S. over 20 years ago.
	Source: Environmental Working Group, compiled from FDA and EPA data. To determine the distribution and possible concentration of health risks from pesticides on 42 fruits and vegetables. EWG calculated the percent contribution to each of the toxicity measures (cancer, nervous system, and endocrine system toxicity) that was accounted for by the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables.
	Find Farms Producing and Selling Organic Foods Locally At www.nofanj.org *Healthy Farms - Healthy Food - Healthy Land*