The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Ever had a light money week and felt torn by the organic vs. conventional question? Here is a simple list of the 12 produce items that have been tagged as the "Dirty Dozen" (and you should ALWAYS purchase organically) and the "Clean 15" that you can scrape by with (although it might not taste as good!)

The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67. For produce on the “dirty” list, you should definitely go organic — unless you relish the idea of consuming a chemical cocktail.

“The Dirty Dozen” list includes:
•celery
•peaches
•strawberries
•apples
•domestic blueberries
•nectarines
•sweet bell peppers
•spinach, kale and collard greens
•cherries
•potatoes
•imported grapes
•lettuce

All the produce on “The Clean 15” bore little to no traces of pesticides, and is safe to consume in non-organic form.


"The Clean 15" list includes:
•onions
•avocados
•sweet corn
•pineapples
•mango
•sweet peas
•asparagus
•kiwi fruit
•cabbage
•eggplant
•cantaloupe
•watermelon
•grapefruit
•sweet potatoes
•sweet onions

**list and images from (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/the-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-of-produce/616/)