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Which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticide residues?

There are certain foods that you should try to buy organic as much as possible. These foods are those fruits and vegetables whose conventionally grown "alternatives" have been found to contain high levels of pesticide residues.

In 2014, the Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews) released an updated report that identified foods in the conventional, non-organic food supply that contained the highest number of pesticide residues. The worst offenders, which were nicknamed the "Dirty Dozen Plus."

These are presented in descending order in terms of pesticide residue frequency (the uppermost food contains pesticide residues on the most frequent basis, and the next food down contains pesticide residues at the second highest frequency, etc.):

  • Apples
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Celery
  • Peaches
  • Spinach
  • Sweet bell peppers
  • Nectarines-imported
  • Cucumbers
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Snap peas—imported
  • Potatoes

The "Plus" in the "Dirty Dozen Plus" reflects types of produce that didn't meet the traditional Dirty Dozen criteria yet were of special concern. While they may not have met traditional criteria to rank them in the top 12, the Environmental Working Group found that they were frequently found to contain residues of insecticides that are toxic to the human nervous system.

For the 2014 list, the "Plus" crops included:

  • Leafy greens, such as kale and collard greens
  • Hot peppers

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