Before working at a health food store, I had little knowledge on the “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” fruits and veggies. Now, I consider myself a fairly conscious shopper. However, sometimes it can be hard to remember what to buy conventional and what to splurge on when shopping organic. More often than not, conventional produce is much cheaper than pesticide free produce (organic).
Being a student, it can be hard to source a completely organic diet within my budget. ~But~ that’s why I’m writing this post! As a reminder for myself (and you, of course) on the top clean and dirty produce (based on 2018 records from the EWG). If you can’t buy all organic (like me), then try to focus your attention on just the dirty dozen!
So what’s the deal with pesticides anyways? Without getting too much into the details, pesticides are what the agriculture industry uses to keep pests away from their product, ensuring a higher yield. This can have many side effects for our health, as well as the environment’s (soil, wildlife, bees <3).
So next time you’re planning to purchase some produce, remember… the top 15 clean fruits and veggies (with the least amount of detectable pesticides) are:
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Onions
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Eggplants
- Mangoes
- Kiwi
- Pineapples
- Cantaloupes
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Honeydew melon
- Papayas
- Asparagus
These are in no particular order (other than the first two). Surprised? Not really? Well let’s see if you knew about the list of the dirty dozen:
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Potatoes
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Pears
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Grapes
- Apples
- Nectarines
- Sweet bell peppers
Again, no particular order other than the top 2. Surprised now? I feel like every time I read this list I have a “wait, what?!” moment (especially for potatoes).
This list is SO important for us (as sustainable shoppers) because it not only allows us to be conscious consumers… but it also can allow for us to realize why prices for organic foods are often much higher than conventional prices. Think about it – organic potatoes are usually 3-4 times the price of conventional ones (and again, from my experience working in a health food store, people often complained of this). BUT what we need to remember is that this price is because:
- the organic potato industry is minuscule compared to its conventional farming competitors; thus, not mass producing and not being able to sell at the lowest price possible.
- it often can cost a lot more to maintain an organic farm (due to using alternative sources of pest management).
- If there are no organic producers in your local area, health food stores are forced to source from further away, resulting in an increased price to account for the transportation costs.
These are just a few quick points to get your mind thinking more about the costs of foods, I encourage you to do more research on it if you’re interested!
So next time you’re out and about shopping for the weekly fruits and veg, try to remember to come back to these lists to help you be a more conscious consumer!
Thanks for reading! Questions/ Comments are always welcome!
Change to Sustain 