What to Buy Organic

You may have noticed the organic section of stores getting larger and larger, with some of the items not even making much sense as to why they are labeled organic. Some types of fruits and vegetables receive more pesticides than other types while they are growing, making some more potent in chemicals than others.

The Environmental Working Group looks at produce each year and creates lists of recommendations. The 2018 list, only slightly different from 2017, was recently published in April.

So, when is it beneficial to buy organic and when is the price difference not even worth it? See what the experts recommend below.
what to buy organic

What to Buy Organic

Consider These

These fruits and vegetables are generally loaded with pesticides while being grown.
This list is considered the “DIRTY DOZEN” by the Environmental Working Group [1].
Therefore, if given the option, consider purchasing organic any of the fruits and vegetables contained within the following list.

Apples
Cherries
Grapes
Nectarines
Peaches
Strawberries
Peppers
Celery
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Tomatoes

What to Buy Organic - Not!

Ignore These

The following list is considered the “CLEAN FIFTEEN” by the Environmental Working Group [2].
Items making it onto this list are not that different, whether purchased organic or not. Since few pesticides are used when growing the produce on this list, purchasing the organic variety is not as beneficial as it is with the previous list.

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Avocado
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Corn
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Honeydew
Kiwi
Mangoes
Onions
Papaya
Peas
Pineapple

What to Buy Organic

Additional Information

To find out more about the organic label on foods, see our organic definition page.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.

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