http://http://www.foodnews.org/
Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
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.
Will Washing and Peeling Help?
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.
How This Guide Was Developed
The 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
Environmental Working Group || Public Interest Watchdog.
The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies
RANK
FRUIT OR VEGGIE
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 pesticide load)
Note: We ranked a total of 43 different fruits and vegetables but grapes are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported samples.
http://http://www.foodnews.org/fulldataset.php 
Linear Mode
