Latest Pesticide Analysis of Common Fruits and Vegetables

By Dr. Ben Kim on March 31, 2007

In late 2006, the Environmental Working Group released their latest report on the average pesticide content of common fruits and vegetables.

Many different studies that have been done with animals have found that exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of developing various types of cancer, nervous system dysfunction, and reproductive problems.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should do their very best to minimize their exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins.

Key findings from the Environmental Working Group's latest study are as follows:

1. The six fruits that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, bananas, and papaya.

2. The six vegetables that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, and broccoli.

3. The seven fruits that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, and grapes that are imported from outside the United States and Canada.

4. The five vegetables that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

While it is unrealistic for most of us to eat only organic produce 100 percent of the time, we can use the results of this study to guide us in choosing to buy organic varieties of those fruits and vegetables that consistently rank high in pesticide content.

What follows is a complete list of all 43 fruits and vegetables that were evaluated for pesticide content and their rankings:

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	89
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	82
7	Cherries	75
8	Pears	65
9	Grapes - Imported	65
10	Spinach	60
11	Lettuce	59
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	53
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	45
19	Grapes - Domestic	43
20	Oranges	42
21	Grapefruit	40
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Honeydew Melon	31
26	Tomatoes	30
27	Sweet Potatoes	30
28	Watermelon	28
29	Winter Squash	27
30	Cauliflower	27
31	Blueberries	24
32	Papaya	21
33	Broccoli	18
34	Cabbage	17
35	Bananas	16
36	Kiwi	14
37	Sweet peas - frozen	11
38	Asparagus	11
39	Mango	9
40	Pineapples	7
41	Sweet Corn - frozen	2
42	Avocado	1
43 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

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Super Helpful

Submitted by Alex on April 3, 2007 - 18:53.

Very easy to read/understand. I've seen similar articles but none as straight forward. Thanks!

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