"The Importance of Knowing the 'Clean 15 and the Dirty 12' for Your Produce"
Recently EWG came out with their Clean 15 and Dirty 12 list. They have been doing this for about 20 years now, with the very first list in 2004. The motive behind it was to inform us, the consumers about the pesticides on the many fruits and vegetables that we purchase.
For those of you who may not be familiar with EWG (Environmental Working Group); they are a non-profit organization formed in 1993 that has gone to bat for us. Their mission is to empower us with breakthrough research so that we can make informed choices and live a healthier life in a healthier environment. Sounds like good people to me!
"EWG’s team of scientists, policy experts, lawyers, and communications and data experts work tirelessly to reform our nation’s broken chemical safety and agricultural laws. We push industries to adopt our standards and stand against chemicals of concern. We educate consumers with actionable information and inspire demand for safer products. When government and industry won't stand up for our public health, we're there."
So back to the Clean 15 and the Dirty 12; this is EWG's analysis of the latest non-organic, conventionally grown fruit and vegetable testing data from the Department of Agriculture and the FDA. It included data from 47,510 samples of 46 different fruits or vegetables. The data shows most frequently that fungicides are detected on a high percentage of the produce. These fungicides are not only used during the growing season and process, but they are also used after harvest, to prevent mold from occurring during transport and storage. The later application is probably why the heavy fungicide concentration is showing up so often.
As mentioned, the data used was taken from the USDA and the FDA. The USDA peels or scrubs and then washes the foods, while the FDA only washes off the dirt. After these steps, traces of 254 pesticides were found. 209 of these are found on the EWG's Dirty Dozen list.
What about the clean 15? These are the foods that had a very low detectable amount or in some cases none at all. Almost 65 % of EWG’s 2024 Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
Here Are The Lists
THE DIRTY !2 THE CLEAN 15
Strawberries | Sweet Corn * |
Spinach | Avocado |
Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens | Pineapple |
Grapes | Onions |
Peaches | Papaya |
Pears | Sweet Peas |
Nectarines | Asparagus |
Apples | Honey Dew Melon |
Hot and Bell Peppers | Kiwi |
Cherries | Cabbage |
Blueberries | Watermelon |
Green Beans | Mushroom |
Mango | |
Sweet Potatoes | |
Carrots |
*Please note: some corn and summer squash could be GMO. The Rainbow Papaya, Arctic Apple, and Innate Potatoes are GMO! Look at the label, a 5-digit code starting with 8 means genetically modified. If you see the numbers that tells you it is GMO. And, remember GMO-free does not mean organic. Organic,, however, does mean non-GMO.
So What Do We Do With This Information?
We know that purchasing organic can be more expensive. Because the conventional way of growing food costs less than growing organic. To obtain certification and commercially grow organic comes at a significant cost to the grower. Another example is that the loss to molds for the conventional grower is less due to the amounts of fungicides sprayed post-harvest. The conventional grower can charge us less up front, but in the end, what does this cost us? Our health is priceless.
What's The Difference Between Conventional and Organic Anyway?
According to the USDA -
The essential difference between organic and conventional farming is that conventional farming relies on chemical intervention to fight pests and weeds and provide plant nutrition. That means synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Organic farming relies on natural principles like biodiversity and composting instead to produce healthy, abundant food.
Importantly, “Organic production is not simply the avoidance of conventional chemical inputs, nor is it the substitution of natural inputs for synthetic ones. Organic farmers apply techniques first used thousands of years ago, such as crop rotations and the use of composted animal manures and green manure crops, in ways that are economically sustainable in today’s world. In organic production, overall system health is emphasized, and the interaction of management practices is the primary concern. Organic producers implement a wide range of strategies to develop and maintain biological diversity and replenish soil fertility” (USDA, 2007).
And, The Effects =
Conventional and organic farming methods have different consequences for the environment and people. Conventional agriculture causes increased greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, and water pollution, and threatens human health. Organic farming has a smaller carbon footprint, conserves and builds soil health, and replenishes natural ecosystems for cleaner water and air, all without toxic pesticide residues.
Now You Have The Knowledge
Now that you have the information you can make an informed decision, you can choose conventional fruits and vegetables from the Clean 15 list, and you can also choose not to purchase the fruits and vegetables in the Dirty Dozen list unless your budget allows you to buy the organic versions of the produce.
The bottom line is we all need to eat more fruits and vegetables (ideally 6-8 servings per day). These are whole foods, complete with vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and all the other compounds that come with them. We need to eat the "rainbow" because all those colors give our bodies lots and lots of information and allow our bodies to perform the various processes it does constantly.
Some Don't Agree
Some claim that the Environmental Working Group only puts out this information to cause fear. I wholeheartedly disagree with them! Would they rather us be in the dark then, and not be aware of the contamination and the combinations of pesticides and fungicides that linger on these foods? Hmmm, I wonder why they would if they do?
Who even knows what the combination of pesticides and fungicides do to our bodies? When you mix chemicals one plus one does not necessarily mean the answer is two.
I do know that chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and autoimmune issues are on a steady rise! There is no need for studies there, we see it all around us.
I want to thank the Environmental Working Group for their work!
The EWG has a wide area of focus including household and consumer products, food and water, toxic chemicals, and more, You can visit EWG here.
Wishing you and yours the very best of health
Val
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