The Dirty Dozen 2012

It’s no surprise that conventional produce is often laden with chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. So, how do you know which foods contain the most toxins? The Environmental Working Group publishes their results on this exact testing every year, and just released the results this week.

If you aren’t able to purchase everything organic and/or local (which I highly recommend), this Dirty Dozen list will help you pick and choose which conventionally grown ones to stay clear of. They also have released the Clean 15 that lists the 15 fruits and veggies that have the lowest pesticides levels.

Infographics by Mary Crimmins

“This year we have expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops — green beans and leafy greens, meaning, kale and collard greens – that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops.” (source: EWG)

So the next time you make a trip to the grocery store, take this list with you so you can make sure to avoid the dreaded Dirty Dozen and buy those items organic.