16 reasons to buy organic boxes
I read on the VeganBits blog a post about contamination levels in fruits which is a bit shocking but really just gives 16 strong reasons for eating fruit and vegetables from organic boxes or other sources of untainted food.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has compiled some information about pesticides and produce.
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce.
The EWG has ranked fruits and vegetables according to their pesticide load (100 represents the highest pesticide load). According to their rankings, here are the Un-Sweet Sixteen… these fruits and veggies have rankings over 50…
RANK
FRUIT OR VEGGIE
SCORE
1 (worst)
Peaches
100 (highest pesticide load)
2
Apples
96
3
Sweet Bell Peppers
86
4
Celery
85
5
Nectarines
84
6
Strawberries
83
7
Cherries
75
8
Lettuce
69
9
Grapes - Imported
68
10
Pears
65
11
Spinach
60
12
Potatoes
58
13
Carrots
57
14
Green Beans
55
15
Hot Peppers
53
16
Cucumbers
52
In case you’re wondering, there were two vegetables which scored a 1; onions and avocados. Tomatoes weren’t too shabby either at 30, so it looks like salsa is a good thing
Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic boxes when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
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Also make sure you wash even organic produce. There are bugs in soil. The supermarkets have made us lazy and complacent with pre-washed stuff that looks clean. Dirty veg keeps better and forces us to wash it.