Buzz
The Environmental Working Group has published their newest 'Dirty Dozen' report, identifying fruits and vegetables allegedly high in pesticide residues. (This list is deceptive, as we’ve previously clarified.) While the EWG encourages purchasing organic produce, it’s important to note that organic doesn’t mean pesticide-free.
Organic farming permits the use of pesticides, provided they are selected from an approved list. The USDA organic standards do not ban all pesticides, only those classified as “synthetic.” (Note that “pesticides” encompass both insecticides and herbicides.)
What traces are left on our produce? The USDA conducts regular tests for pesticide residues through its Pesticide Data Program. (The EWG uses this data to compile their Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists.) However, the USDA does not test for pesticides approved for organic farming. Thus, the EWG’s reports focus solely on conventional crops, ignoring organic ones.
Will switching to organic reduce your pesticide intake? It’s unclear, and the answer might be no. Even when examining synthetic pesticides in the USDA’s data, organic produce doesn’t consistently show the lowest residue levels. For instance, strawberries, the top item on the 2018 Dirty Dozen list: 75 percent of organic strawberries and 76 percent of conventional ones had pesticide residues below 5 percent of the legal limit.
In fact, opting for organic strawberries could result in higher pesticide exposure compared to conventional ones. We suggest disregarding the Dirty Dozen list altogether and choosing fruits and vegetables that align with your dietary needs and financial situation.
Updated on 4/13/2018 at 4:09pm to fix an error in the second-to-last paragraph, which initially stated, 'conventional crops don’t always have the lowest amounts.' We intended to clarify that organic crops were the focus of that statement.
