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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
from the Environmental Working Group

For years, you've been able to choose foods with less fat or fewer additives. Now, with EWG's 4th edition of the popular Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, you can minimize your chemical exposure in the produce aisle.

EWG always recommends organic, but we know you can't always find it. Our new Guide features the 12 fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides so you'll know which ones to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown ones are okay when organic isn't available.

How'd we do it? EWG analyzed over 42,000 of the latest government tests for pesticide residues on commonly-eaten fruits and vegetables. We then ranked the results based on six measures of pesticide loads, after washing and peeling. Click here to download your printer-friendly PDF Guide now.

There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

Get your copy of the guide here: http://www.ewg.org/sites/foodnews/walletguide.php (available in English and Spanish).

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