Organic Vs Non Organic
When we are faced with the choice of organic or non-organic, what do we do when items are either not available or we have limited funds? The answer is to purchase the ‘cleanest’ fruits and vegetables as non-organic and the ‘dirtiest’ foods as organic. You may also find local farms which if you do your detective work, may yield fairly ‘clean’ produce.
The Environmental Working Group in the USA produces a list of ‘safe’ fruits and vegetables each year called ‘the Clean Fifteen’ and also those that have the highest amount of hazardous chemical exposure - ‘the Dirty Dozen’.
Each year this changes, as new and popular items are ranked. Last year, raisins were included and these came up worse than all the other fruits and vegetables tested. Kale, as well is now ranked third on the 2020 Dirty Dozen list as the level and type of pesticide residues on kale as expanded significantly.
What is the Dirty Dozen?
The Dirty Dozen refers to twelve crops that feature the highest amounts of pesticide residue. These should be bought organic where possible:
List of Dirty Dozen foods
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Peaches
Cherries
Pears
Tomatoes
Celery
Potatoes
The Clean Fifteen
The Clean Fifteen refers to fifteen crops that have the lowest levels of pesticide contamination. Therefore, these fifteen crops do not need to be purchased organic:
List of Clean Fifteen foods
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Cabbages
Onions
Sweet peas
Papayas
Asparagus
Mangoes
Eggplants
Honeydews
Kiwis
Cantaloupes
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Remember to buy local wherever possible as many areas (such as the Illawarra) have many local farms that use minimal pesticides and herbicides and/or use organic farming practices.