Which Fruits & Veggies Are the Most Important to Buy Organic?

Avoiding Pesticides in Fruits & Vegetables
It's true -- organic produce can cost a bit more than conventional. So where should you put your organic consumer dollars? Use those shopping dollars to avoid the conventional fruits and vegetables that have shocking levels of pesticides.
Meet the Dirty Dozen Plus™; the fruits and veggies MOST laden with pesticides by conventional growers. If at all possible, buy these organically grown. Thanks to the Environmental Working Group for creating the Dirty Dozen Plus™, based on their annual testing of pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables.
- Apples
- Celery
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Grapes
- Hot peppers
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Sweet bell peppers
The Environmental Working Group added two "Plus" members of the group, shown below, explaining that these crops did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen™ criteria but were commonly contaminated with pesticides exceptionally toxic to the nervous system." Kale and collard greens.
