Strawberries, Spinach Top List Of Pesticide Contamination
BOSTON (CBS) - It's springtime and many of us are craving colorful seasonal delights, like for example, a strawberry spinach salad, but strawberries and spinach both top the list when it comes to pesticide contamination.
The Environmental Working Group found that one sample of strawberries tested positive for 22 different pesticides and spinach contained nearly twice the pesticide residue by weight than any other fruit or vegetable.
Other members of the so-called "dirty dozen" include nectarines, apples, and grapes.
Can rinsing your produce with water help get rid of pesticide residues? Yes. So does cooking it.
Organic produce does tend to be less contaminated but can be much more expensive, so if you're debating whether to buy non-organic produce or no produce at all, buy the non-organic produce and wash it well.
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Apples
5. Grapes
6. Peaches
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Tomatoes
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet Bell Peppers
