Apples Top List of Dirty Foods

Those big, juicy, delicious apples stacked in graceful pyramids in produce sections across the U.S. are hardly the poster-food for healthy living. The Environmental Working group tested all sorts of produce for chemicals and pesticides for their annual Shopper's Guide and nearly all--98 percent--of apples tested positive. 

Other produce that made the worst of the worst list: celery, strawberries, peaches and spinach.

Making an appearance in the guide for the first time is the herb cilantro, which had never been tested by USDA until now. The data showed 33 unapproved pesticides on 44 percent of the cilantro samples tested, which is the highest percentage of unapproved pesticides recorded on any item included in the guide since EWG started tracking the data in 1995.

Also appearing in the guide for the first time are green onions, cranberries and mushrooms. Mushrooms made the “Clean 15” list, while honeydew was the only item to drop off that list this year. Cherries dropped off the “Dirty Dozen” list, but lettuce, which has made the list in previous years, were back on.

“Though buying organic is always the best choice, we know that sometimes people do not have access to that produce or cannot afford it,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “Our guide helps consumers concerned about pesticides to make better choices among conventional produce, and lets them know which fruits and vegetables they may want to buy organic.”