Courtesy Julie Rybarczyk, Flickr

Off The Grid Health recommends that you purchase the freshest and preferably locally grown organic produce whenever possible.  However, this may not be possible due to cost or access.  For this reason, it is important to know which fruits and vegetables contain the highest concentration of pesticides when conventionally grown.  Fortunately, a test of the pesticide content of more than fifty common fruits and vegetables has been performed by the non-profit, Environmental Working Group.

The EWG study found a group of fruits and vegetables, now known as ‘The Clean 15‘, that contain relatively low traces of pesticides when grown by conventional means using pesticides. The EWG also reported a group of fruits and vegetables, known as ‘The Dirty Dozen Plus‘, to be exceptionally high in dangerous chemicals from the pesticides used in conventional farming.  The EWG highly recommends that items on the Dirty Dozen Plus be purchased from organic sources due their high pesticide content.  Here are their findings:

Source: Environmental Working Group 2012 Shopper’s Guide

Check the Clean 15 / Dirty Dozen list from Environmental Working Group for semiannual updates.

⁺These foods contain organophosphate insecticides, which the EWG characterizes as “highly toxic” and of special concern.

Reference: EWG’s 2015 Shoppers Guide

Off The Grid Health Recommends that all produce be purchased from organic sources if possible. Otherwise, try to purchase the non-organic produce on ‘The Clean 15′.