Chemicals in the Food: A Warning List for Victualing Services
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, in which they release “The Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen”— fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest residual pesticide levels. The EWG tabulates data on 48 different fruits and vegetables to help shoppers and victualing services determine which products pose the greatest danger unwashed. Research links pesticide to an array of health complications, many of which serious (i.e. cancer or brain toxicity). For this reason, buying organic is always preferable, despite its steeper cost. Certified-organic products grow without the aid or protection of pesticides. Moreover, they often come from local sources, so victualing services can support the economy of local ports, harbours or towns. The Dirty Dozen, as numbered below, does not itemize the fruits and vegetables to avoid. After a thorough washing, these products still offer many substantial health benefits. In fact, processed foods are almost guaranteed to contain more chemicals anyway. Victualing services should take this data and instead allow it to influence their organic and non-organic buying decisions.
The Dirty Dozen
The Top Three 1. Apples: 99% of apples tested positive for pesticide residue. Interestingly, this remains the case year-over-year, as apples have sat at the number one spot since 2011. 2. Peaches: Appropriately, 98% of peaches tested positive for pesticide residue. 3. Nectarines: Although botanically similar to the peach, it seems that pesticides appear in 1% fewer samples of nectarines. The Final Nine 4. Strawberries: A single sample showed 13 different pesticides 5. Grapes: A single sample hosted 15 pesticides 6. Celery 7. Spinach 8. Sweet Bell Peppers: A single sample contained 15 pesticides 9. Cucumber 10. Cherry Tomato: A single sample carried 13 pesticides 11. Snap Peas: The same as both Cherry Tomatoes and Strawberries 12. Potatoes: Most samples contained more pesticides per weight than any other food item on this list Note: Many vegetables and fruits tested positively on a few samples, those such high results were inconsistent. Not every sweet bell pepper, then, will carry 15 pesticides into the home or kitchen.Last Year’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen
Dirty Dozen 1. Apples 2. Strawberries 3. Grapes 4. Celery 5. Peaches 6. Spinach 7. Sweet Bell Peppers 8. Nectarines (imported) 9. Cucumbers 10. Cherry Tomatoes 11. Snap Peas (imported) 12. Potatoes </ Clean Fifteen
1. Asparagus
2. Avocados
3. Cabbage
4. Cantaloupe
5. Cauliflower
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mangoes
10. Onions
11. Papayas
12. Pineapples
13. Sweet Corn
14. Sweet Peas
15. Sweet Potatoes
