The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides lists 49 fruits and vegetables from least to most contaminated. Onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapples...do well on the list while celery, peaches, strawberries, blueberries...are the culprits.It's interesting to scan the list. I have always suspected grapes or any foods with crevices and rough edges such as broccoli which may be difficult to wash. I never suspected celery or apples to be as high on the list.
As a response, Heidi Kenney at My Paper Crane created a convenient 'cheat sheet' to carry with you as you go shopping. She recommends that one buys organic, if possible, for the dirty dozen.
Organic foods may seem a worthy goal, but there are definite challenges in finding quality produce at a reasonable price.
Does the list surprise you? How do you address the problem of pesticides in food?
Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term. ~ David Suzuki
