List of the Most Heavily Sprayed Fruits and Vegetables
10 Feb 2012, by in NutritionThe produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004. A detailed description of the criteria used in developing the rankings is available as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been tested (see below).
EWG is a not-for-profit environmental research organization dedicated to improving public health and protecting the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food. For more information please visit www.ewg.org.
The Full List: 43 Fruits and Veggies
Rank |
Fruits/Veggies |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
1 (worst)
|
Peaches
|
100 (highest pesticide load)
|
|
2
|
Apples
|
89
|
|
3
|
Sweet Bell Peppers
|
86
|
|
4
|
Celery
|
85
|
|
5
|
Nectarines
|
84
|
|
6
|
Strawberries
|
82
|
|
7
|
Cherries
|
75
|
|
8
|
Pears
|
65
|
|
9
|
Grapes(imported)
|
65
|
|
10
|
Spinach
|
60
|
|
11
|
Lettuce
|
59
|
|
12
|
Potatoes
|
58
|
|
13
|
Carrots
|
57
|
|
14
|
Green Beans
|
53
|
|
15
|
Hot Peppers
|
53
|
|
16
|
Cucumbers
|
52
|
|
17
|
Raspberries
|
47
|
|
18
|
Plums
|
45
|
|
19
|
Grapes-Domestic
|
43
|
|
20
|
Oranges
|
42
|
|
21
|
Grapefruit
|
40
|
|
22
|
Tangerine
|
38
|
|
23
|
Mushrooms
|
37
|
|
24
|
Cantaloupe
|
34
|
|
25
|
Honeydew Melon
|
31
|
|
26
|
Tomatoes
|
30
|
|
27
|
Sweet Potatoes
|
30
|
|
28
|
Watermelon
|
28
|
|
29
|
Winter Squash
|
27
|
|
30
|
Cauliflower
|
27
|
|
31
|
Blueberries
|
24
|
|
32
|
Papaya
|
21
|
|
33
|
Broccoli
|
18
|
|
34
|
Cabbage
|
17
|
|
35
|
Bananas
|
16
|
|
36
|
Kiwi
|
14
|
|
37
|
Sweet peas-frozen
|
11
|
|
38
|
Asparagus
|
11
|
|
39
|
Mango
|
9
|
|
40
|
Pineapples
|
7
|
|
41
|
Sweet Corn-frozen
|
2
|
|
42
|
Avocado
|
1
|
|
43 (best)
|
Onions
|
1 (lowest pesticides)
|