Product Safety Tip Card

Keep Registered Dietician Maureen Callahan’s recommendations in mind when making your purchasing decision:

• Keep good nutrition in mind. When buying meats, dairy, or processed foods, factor the item’s whole nutritional package first, then consider the method by which it was produced. Minimizing sodium and saturated fat has proven health benefits, such as helping to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Pesticide problems. Pesticide residues are much lower in organic foods than conventionally grown ones. Chemicals used in agriculture that may find their way into the food supply are monitored by the EPA, which sets limits on how much pesticide residue foods can contain. According to the FDA’s Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program, which collects and tests random samples of domestic and imported foods, fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of trace pesticides―54.9 percent of fruit and 23.8 percent of vegetables. And studies have shown certain types of produce are consistently high in pesticide levels, which may make organic varieties a suitable alternative.

Read her entire article on “How to Buy the Best Organic Foods”

EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?

The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood. Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?

EWG research has found that people who eat five fruits and e.vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen™ list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat from the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?

The data used to create these lists is based on produce tested as it is typically eaten (meaning washed, rinsed or peeled, depending on the type of produce). Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?

EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly 89,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2008 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You can find a description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated website, www.foodnews.org.

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