Common Foods with Highest Pesticide Contamination

I found this interesting article from the hip folks at onlinegardentips.com. (Don't everybody visit their website?).  If you ever wonder what the fuss about organic gardening, this story might give you the push necessary to pay a little more for the pesticide- free version of your favorite fruits and veggies. 

Note: Experts say put this sort of story in context - It's better to eat commercially raised fruit and vegetables (with the pesticide) than not eat these nutritious foods at all.  However, if you have a choice between non-organic and organic crops choose organic particularly for the very commonly used foods below.  Bon appetit!

The Environmental Working Group has formed a list of foods with the highest levels of pesticides. In fact, these foods are fruits and vegetables that we consume practically everyday. Here is a list of top 12 foods that have the highest levels of pesticide contamination:


12 foods that have the highest levels of pesticide contamination:
•Apples
•Peaches
•Sweet bell peppers
•Celery
•Nectarines
•Strawberries
•Cherries
•Pears
•Imported grapes
•Spinach
•Lettuce
•Potatoes
Usually any pesticide is tested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and only then is it approved for use. Here the EPA checks a pesticide for the maximum amount a pesticide can stay in or on any fruit or vegetable. And any pesticide not conforming to the maximum limit cannot be marketed. However, it is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has the responsibility to check the levels of pesticides in and on fruits and vegetables.
According to the Environmental Working Group, the FDA does not test most of the fruits and vegetables that are marketed in the US and that is why many Americans end up consuming pesticides and insecticides that are present on and in these foods and are not on the approved-to-use list.