Making smarter choices buying organic
There are many arguments for buying organic fruit and veg, including:
Organic fruit and veg contains fewer harmful pesticides such as synthetic fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides (1). Pesticides can be harmful for us to consume, and they are a key driver in insect and pollinator decline.
They are not genetically modified. Instead organic farmers have a deeper understanding of working with the environment to grow their crops and a greater variety of crops are grown.
Organic farming practices are more sustainable and better for the environment as they are less polluting, often use less water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy.
Organic fruit and veg is more nutritious than non-organic, containing higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytochemicals (1).
However, organic food is expensive! Making the switch from a zero-organic shopping cart to 100% organic can put a serious dent in your bank balance. Also, organic foods are not as widely available as non-organic foods, so you may not have much variety of organic fruit and veg where you shop.
If you want to ‘go organic’ but find the financial commitment too high, or your choices are limited, you can be smarter with your choices by focusing on the ‘clean 15’ and ‘dirty dozen’. These are fruit and veg that have been rated in terms of their pesticide load, with the ‘clean 15’ containing the fewest pesticide residues, and the ‘dirty dozen’ the most.
The idea is that these lists can help inform your choices if you are not prepared or able to go 100% organic. The lists guide you on which foods it is better to buy organic when you can, and which foods you might want to choose to not buy organic, for example if your budget is not stretching that far or your access to organic produce is limited.
The ‘dirty dozen’ and ‘clean 15’ lists are updated every year. Here are the lists for 2021:
DIRTY DOZEN
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, collard and mustard greens
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Bell and hot peppers
Celery
Tomatoes
CLEAN 15
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya
Sweet peas (frozen)
Eggplant
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kiwi
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Honeydew melon
Cantaloupe
Using these lists, you can make more informed shopping choices!
In wellness
Fabia x
Reference
Crinnion WJ. Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer. Altern Med Rev. 2010 Apr;15(1):4-12. PMID: 20359265.
