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2011 dirty dozen and clean 15
From the Environmental Working Group (EWG):
You want to feed your family safe, healthy food. Who doesn't?
Lowering your exposure to pesticides found in fresh produce is easier than you may think. Environmental Working Group has the tools to help you do it.
We've just released our 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This handy guide helps you choose between the Dirty Dozen -- conventional fruits and vegetables highest in pesticide residues -- and items from the Clean 15 list instead.
Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day from the Clean 15 list rather than from the Dirty Dozen can lower your pesticide intake by up to 92 percent!
We always recommend eating lots of fruits and veggies and buying them organic if you can. But sometimes you can't find them, or they cost more. EWG has created the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to help you find conventional fruits and vegetables with the lowest pesticide residues. If you need a particular item and it's on the Dirty Dozen list, that's your cue to try to buy organic.
Re: 2011 dirty dozen and clean 15
I thought this question from the FAQ page was particularly important. I've been using the EWG guide for years, and I didn't know this!
What if I wash and peel my fruits and vegetables?
The data used to create the Shopper?s Guide are from produce tested as it is typically eaten. This means washed and, when applicable, peeled. For example, bananas are peeled before testing, and blueberries and peaches are washed. Because all produce has been thoroughly cleaned before analysis, washing a fruit or vegetable would not change its rank in the EWG's Shopper?s Guide. Remember, if you don?t wash conventional produce, the risk of ingesting pesticides is even greater than reflected by USDA test data.
EWG has not evaluated various produce washes for efficacy or potentially toxicity. However, since some plants absorbed pesticides systemically, a produce wash would have limited effect. The safest choice is to use the Shopper?s Guide to avoid conventional versions of those fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues.