{"id":1445604,"date":"2022-04-19T09:15:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T13:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1445604"},"modified":"2022-04-19T09:16:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T13:16:00","slug":"these-fruits-and-vegetables-rank-highest-in-pesticide-residue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-fruits-and-vegetables-rank-highest-in-pesticide-residue\/","title":{"rendered":"These Fruits and Vegetables Rank Highest in Pesticide Residue"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthese-fruits-and-vegetables-rank-highest-in-pesticide-residue%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1445604&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Certain types of produce, such as strawberries, have higher amounts of pesticides than others. But how harmful is it? (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released its annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/foodnews\/dirty-dozen.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Shopper\u2019s Guide to Pesticides in Produce\" class=\"link\">Shopper\u2019s Guide to Pesticides in Produce<\/a>, which includes two lists: the \u201cDirty Dozen\u201d and the \u201cClean Fifteen,\u201d which rank which types of fruits and vegetables have the highest and lowest levels of pesticide residue, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>But what should consumers do with this information? And how harmful is it to eat fruits and vegetables with pesticide residue? Here\u2019s what you need to know, according to experts, including how to still safely consume your favorite produce.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the \u201cDirty Dozen\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The EWG\u2019s Dirty Dozen is a list of nonorganic foods with the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ams.usda.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/PDP%20factsheet.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:pesticide residues\" class=\"link\">pesticide residues<\/a>. The EWG analyzes recent testing samples from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ams.usda.gov\/datasets\/pdp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Pesticide Data Program (PDP)\" class=\"link\">Pesticide Data Program (PDP)<\/a> and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For realistic consumer data, the USDA washes, scrubs and peels (if necessary) fruits and vegetables, just as people normally would, and then tests for pesticides.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Which fruits and vegetables are highest in pesticides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The EWG found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/foodnews\/strawberries.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:99% of strawberry samples\" class=\"link\">99% of strawberry samples<\/a> (most recently tested in 2015-16) had detectable residues of at least one pesticide, earning the fruit the No. 1 spot. In addition, this year, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/foodnews\/summary.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:group found\" class=\"link\">group found<\/a> bell and hot peppers contained more pesticide residue than in the past, moving them up from 12th place to 7th place. The EWG also found that conventional spinach had on average 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight as other tested crops, and kale, collard and mustard greens had the most pesticides detected in total.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the full list of the EWG Dirty Dozen:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"caas-list\">\n<li>\n<p>Strawberries<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Spinach<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Kale, collard &#038; mustard greens<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Nectarines<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Apples<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Grapes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Bell &#038; hot peppers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Cherries<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Peaches<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Pears<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Celery<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Tomatoes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Which fruits and vegetables have the lowest levels of pesticides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Opposite the Dirty Dozen is EWG\u2019s Clean Fifteen \u2014 a list of fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of pesticide residue, with about 70% of samples having no detectable amounts. Notably, many of these foods have an outer layer that you typically remove before consuming.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"caas-list\">\n<li>\n<p>Avocados<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Sweet corn<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Pineapple<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Onions<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Papaya<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Sweet peas (frozen)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Asparagus<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Honeydew melon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Kiwi<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Cabbage<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Mushrooms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Cantaloupe<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Mangoes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Watermelon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Sweet potatoes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>How harmful is it to eat produce with allowed pesticides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pesticides can be harmful in high enough quantities, <a href=\"https:\/\/agnr.umd.edu\/about\/directory\/erika-crowl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Erika Crowl\" class=\"link\">Erika Crowl<\/a>, agent associate of agriculture at University of Maryland Extension, tells Yahoo Life.<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"http:\/\/warren.cce.cornell.edu\/staff\/dr-marybeth-mitcham\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Marybeth Mitcham\" class=\"link\">Marybeth Mitcham<\/a>, PhD, a nutrition, food safety and healthy living educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, tells Yahoo Life that the Environmental Protection Agency \u201csets a standard of the allowed amount of pesticide that is over 100 times less than the minimum dose that could cause humans harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The EPA also takes into consideration groups of people that may be more prone to any harm from pesticides, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/safepestcontrol\/food-and-pesticides#:~:text=pesticides%20in%20food%3F-,Is%20food%20grown%20using%20pesticides%20safe%20to%20eat%3F,children%20as%20well%20as%20adults.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:such as infants and children\" class=\"link\">such as infants and children<\/a>, explains <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/staff\/7534-maxine-smith\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Maxine Smith\" class=\"link\">Maxine Smith<\/a>, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic\u2019s Center for Human Nutrition. Smith tells Yahoo Life: \u201cThere\u2019s no strong evidence at this time to indicate that eating conventional produce that has been treated with synthetic pesticides compromises one\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One useful tool for determining how much is too much is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safefruitsandveggies.com\/pesticide-residue-calculator\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Pesticide Residue Calculator\" class=\"link\">Pesticide Residue Calculator<\/a> created by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safefruitsandveggies.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alliance for Food and Farming\" class=\"link\">Alliance for Food and Farming<\/a> (AFF), a nonprofit organization representing both organic and conventional farmers. AFF shows that an adult man and woman can safely eat 635 and 453 servings of conventional strawberries respectively, in one day. At eight strawberries per serving, that&#8217;s the equivalent of 5,080 and 3,624 individual strawberries, respectively \u2014 amounts that are pretty much impossible to actually consume.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How valid are these reports?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The EWG argues that the EPA\u2019s tolerances for pesticide levels are not strict enough and do not consider newer research about pesticides. However, the actual toxicity of pesticides is left out of EWG\u2019s reports \u2014 one of the reasons why the Dirty Dozen list has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcZC9kvFnp7\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:criticized for having poor methodology\" class=\"link\">criticized for having poor methodology<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/foodnews\/summary.php#summary\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:EWG itself states\" class=\"link\">EWG itself states<\/a> that its shoppers\u2019 guide \u201cdoes not incorporate risk assessment into the calculations. All pesticides are weighted equally, and we do not factor in the levels deemed acceptable by the EPA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crowl says that \u201cthese types of lists are not based on unbiased, scientific-based information and are used more as a scare tactic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Already \u201cAmericans fall way short\u201d when it comes to eating produce, points out Smith, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/71\/wr\/mm7101a1.htm?s_cid=mm7101a1_w\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:only about 10% of adults\" class=\"link\">only about 10% of adults<\/a> meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts argue that these lists may discourage people from purchasing foods that actually hold a lot of nutritional value. This is evident from a <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/nutritiontodayonline\/Fulltext\/2016\/09000\/Low_Income_Shoppers_and_Fruit_and_Vegetables__What.6.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Nutrition Today study\" class=\"link\"><em>Nutrition Today<\/em> study<\/a> that found participants were less likely to purchase any sort of produce after seeing messages naming specific fruits and vegetables with pesticides.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Is organic actually better?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cOrganic foods have been shown to decrease pesticide levels in the body and increase particular micronutrients, such as phytochemicals, but whether or not the difference has a positive effect on human health is still up in the air,\u201d explains Smith. \u201cMore high-quality studies are needed before changing recommendations to limit\/avoid conventional produce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crowl believes \u201corganically grown produce should not be labeled as \u2018better\u2019 than conventional\u201d because organic production also uses pesticides, though they are \u201cnatural\u201d and not synthetic.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u201cfor some people, the environmental concerns related to organic farming will make organic produce their preferred option,\u201d notes Mitcham.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How can you reduce the amount of pesticide residue on your favorite fruits and vegetables?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Washing your produce before eating it \u201cnot only cleans the produce of debris and residues but also cleans it from foodborne microorganisms,\u201d states Crowl. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/buy-store-serve-safe-food\/selecting-and-serving-produce-safely#:~:text=Washing%20fruits%20and%20vegetables%20with,and%20can%20make%20you%20sick.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:FDA\" class=\"link\">FDA<\/a> recommends always washing your fresh produce with running water before eating it, even if you don\u2019t plan on eating the peel.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/agnr.umd.edu\/about\/directory\/shauna-c-henley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Shauna Henley\" class=\"link\">Shauna Henley<\/a>, PhD, family and consumer sciences senior agent at the University of Maryland Extension, cautions against using chlorine bleach or soaps to clean produce because of the chemical hazards related to ingesting them.<\/p>\n<p>Henley tells Yahoo Life that the best way to wash produce depends on its surface. Use a produce brush on rough surfaces like melons; rub smooth surfaces like apples with your hands; and try a colander or salad spinner for leafy greens, making sure to throw away the outer leaves first. Or try a baking soda solution: A <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/acs.jafc.7b03118\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:2017 study\" class=\"link\">2017 study<\/a> found that soaking apples in a mixture of baking soda and water for 12 to 15 minutes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/pesticides-herbicides\/easy-way-to-remove-pesticides-a3616455263\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:removed pesticide residue\" class=\"link\">removed pesticide residue<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>So what should we really eat?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>EWG encourages choosing organic produce whenever possible, and if it&#8217;s not available or affordable, choose Clean Fifteen options. But experts say the most important thing you can do for your health is to eat more fruits and vegetables in general, organic or not.<\/p>\n<p>Smith recommends choosing a variety of produce because \u201cnot only does this optimize nutrients, but it minimizes the potential for any one food that has more pesticide residue to be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Mitcham emphasizes, \u201cThe benefits that you will get from eating [conventional] spinach, strawberries, kale, and apples far outweigh the detriments. Just remember to wash your produce before you eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wellnesswhisk.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Maxine Yeung\" class=\"link\"><em>Maxine Yeung<\/em><\/a><em> is a registered dietitian and personal trainer.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/subscription.yahoo.net\/Newsletter\/Preference\/sub?&#038;b=lifestyle&#038;src=232649067\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Yahoo Life\u2019s newsletter\" class=\"link\"><strong>Yahoo Life\u2019s newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Certain types of produce, such as strawberries, have higher amounts of pesticides than others. But how harmful is it? (Getty Images)The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released its annual Shopper\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1445604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1445604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1445604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1445604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1445604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}