Saturday, March 14, 2009

which vegetable/food has the most pesticide?

environmental working group (or ewg) has published a list of 47 vegetables/fruits tested for pesticides. so which score the worst?

nectarine, peach and apples are the worst while pineapple, mango and avocado are the best in the fruits group.

for veggies, the worst are sweet bell peppers, celery, kale, lettuce, and carrots. asparagus, sweet corn and onions are the least  affected.

here's the full list. 


RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1 (worst)Peach100 (highest pesticide load)
2Apple93
3Sweet Bell Pepper83
4Celery82
5Nectarine81
6Strawberries80
7Cherries73
8Kale69
9Lettuce67
10Grapes - Imported66
11Carrot63
12Pear63
13Collard Greens60
14Spinach58
15Potato56
16Green Beans53
17Summer Squash53
18Pepper51
19Cucumber50
20Raspberries46
21Grapes - Domestic44
22Plum44
23Orange44
24Cauliflower39
25Tangerine37
26Mushrooms36
27Banana34
28Winter Squash34
29Cantaloupe33
30Cranberries33
31Honeydew Melon30
32Grapefruit29
33Sweet Potato29
34Tomato29
35Broccoli28
36Watermelon26
37Papaya20
38Eggplant20
39Cabbage17
40Kiwi13
41Sweet Peas - Frozen10
42Asparagus10
43Mango9
44Pineapple7
45Sweet Corn - Frozen2
46Avocado1
47 (best)Onion1 (lowest pesticide load)