How to Buy Organic Fruits and Vegetables

To be an educated consumer of organic fruits and vegetables, you must first understand the organic labeling standards. You must also understand when your money is best spent on organics and when it is best spent on conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. The Environmental Work Group conducted tests to find which types of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables yielded the highest traces of pesticide residues. The results, are surprising and distinguished the "Dirty Dozen" of produce. These are the types of produce you must buy organic.

2. Fruits that aren't peeled are the most polluted of all conventionally grown types of fruits and vegetables. Some leafy greens and root vegetables also made it into the ranks of the "Dirty Dozen." Here they are the MUST BUY ORGANIC fruits and vegetables:
   Apples, Cherries, Grapes (imported), Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Raspberries, Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Celery, Potatoes, Spinach

3. If you want to move beyond simply buying the 12 most risky fruits and vegetables organically, educate yourself about organic labeling standards. Always look for the organic seal. Do not be fooled by products without the seal claiming "natural" or "organic" on the food packaging without a legitimate organic seal.

Resources

• USDA Organic Certification