What is the Clean Fifteen? Have You Heard of the Dirty Dozen? – Pesticide Residue in Food

Pesticide Residue in Food

Well, here’s news about good reasons to grow our own food. By now just about everyone has been convinced of the important health benefits of eating leafy, green vegetables and adding fiber to our diets. We know these veggies reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. So, why do we need to be concerned? The U.S Department of Agriculture’s annual national pesticide residue monitoring program tests fruits and vegetables “as eaten.” Produce samples are thoroughly washed and, if applicable, peeled, before testing for pesticides. That report is analyzed by the Environmental working group, a non-profit agricultural advocacy of researchers, and the EWP publishes a guide of the best and worst, their ‘dirty dozen‘ fruits and veggies with pesticide residue. The guide relies on analysis of more than 40,900 samples taken by the federal government in the last year or two, because not every food is tested every year.  Avocados top the list of foods with the least likelihood to contain pesticides.  For 2019, spinach and kale now sit at second and third place on the list of the dirty dozen.  More folks are buying kale and spinach as foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants, but the level and number of pesticide residues found on kale has increased significantly. Like lettuce, spinach and kale have broad notched, scalloped, frilly or ruffled leaves which hold pesticides more readily.

Gardeners know that good food starts with clean soil, from there robust organic methods produce clean, nutritious food. If you can’t grow it and must buy it, buy organic. The National Pesticide Information Center recommends rinsing produce under cold running water for a good twenty seconds. Instead of dunking or soaking produce, rub it with your fingers or brush it to clean off residue. Scrub items with tough skins like potatoes or melons, and peel whenever possible, because residue can get caught in the crevices of the skin. Plain water is best because pesticide residues dissolve in water, and according to the researchers, it’s the mechanical action of rubbing produce under water that removes residues more than the number of rinses.

Here are the top 5 on the “Dirty Dozen”:

1.   Strawberries
2.   Spinach
3.   Kale
4.   Nectarines
5.   Apples

Here are the top 5 fruits and vegetables least likely to contain pesticides:

1.     Avocados
2.     Sweet Corn
3.      Pineapples
4.     Cabbages
5.     Onions

Read the full report at:  https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php