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a wallet sized guide to pesticide residues on produce helps girlawhirl shop smart Jul 19, 2007
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It's precisely at this time of year – when Girlawhirl's grocery is bursting with gorgeous fruits and vegetables – that she finds herself standing in front of the cantaloupe display vacillating between the ‘conventional' and ‘organic' sides. She weighs not just the nutritional ramifications of her decision, but the financial and even the moral aspects as well… She's very clear that strawberries, cherries, peaches and bell peppers, all of which are starring in summer's bountiful show right now tend to have lots of pesticide residues, so she makes a real effort to purchase organic ones. But she's often stumped by melons, mushrooms and even plums.
A quick click to the Environmental Working Group's website gives Girlawhirl all the info she needs. Based on 43,000 tests, they've ranked 43 fruits and vegetables from those that score highest in pesticide residue – peaches – to those with the lowest amounts – avocados and onions.
So Girlawhirl knows that she doesn't need to splurge on an organic avocado. And that cantaloupe she was thinking about falls about halfway down the list, with a pesticide load score of 34 out of 100.
After registering with her email address, Girlawhirl was able to download a wallet-sized chart of the 12 fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides. The list of all 43 fruits and vegetables tested is available online.
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