The Dirty Dozen

I received a copy of Blue, the little magazine sent out by Wellmark Blue Cross/Shield of IA to insurance holders. Usually I recycle it pretty quickly, but a story caught my eye on the front page: how to buy organic. Interesting, I thought, that an insurance company would have an article on this topic. It leads me to think that maybe even they feel that pesticide exposure may not be such a great thing in the long run for our health. So I read on. It was a short, simplistic article, that took no real stand at all. But it included one thing I thought was particularly interesting. According to the Environmental Working Group, who published data based on studies performed by the US Dept. of Agriculture and Food and Drug Admin., you can lower pesticide exposure by nearly 90 PERCENT when you avoid the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Wow, that seems like a big thing, doesn't it? Now I imagine this relies on the idea that you would be eating these veggies/fruits already, and that by switching to organic, you'd cut pesticide exposure. Still, I found it worth cutting out the list to keep in mind for future shopping trips. I thought I'd share in case you are curious:

The Dirty Dozen (produce that tested highest for pesticide retention):
1) Peaches
2) Apples
3) Bell Peppers
4) Celery
5) Nectarines
6) Strawberries
7) Cherries
8) Kale
9) Lettuce
10) Grapes (imported)
11) Carrots
12) Pears

They also listed what they called "The Clean 15", those produce samples that tested the lowest for pesticide retention and could probably be purchased non-organically:
1) Onions
2) Avocados
3) Sweet Corn
4) Pineapple
5) Mangos
6) Asparagus
7) Sweet Peas
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Papaya
12) Watermellon
13) Broccoli
14) Tomatoes
15) Sweet Potatoes

I think it's obvious that the first 5 probably test lower because they have outer coatings or shells to keep pesticides from sinking further into the flesh. I'm a little surprised that bananas aren't included here, with avocados and mangos, for that reason. They aren't on either list so I assume they test in the middle, but I'll continue to buy organic bananas because 1) both kids eat a full banana every day, 2) they aren't much more expensive than non-organic, and 3) they are easy to find in most stores. Unfortunately some of the "dirty dozen" are nearly impossible to find in our organic sections in Iowa stores (peaches and nectarines, especially).

One thing I found lacking in this article was discussion over organic products other than produce. It was pretty limited to produce. I have heard (read?) that pesticides tend to gather more fully in fat, so it's more important to purchase organic in higher fat foods than in lower fat ones. For this reason I've been purchasing organic peanut butter for quite some time, but don't always buy organic frozen veggies or fruit. Ironically, we do not buy organic milk or meat. I buy hormone free milk and meat, but not organic. I buy free range eggs, but not organic. Since dairy and protein products do have quite a bit of fat, I should probably make more of a commitment, but the price is just so overwhelming. We go through 2-3 gallons of milk a week. I pay about $8+/week now for our skim milk (2-3 gallons), and over $5 for a half gallon of Benj's organic whole milk. If we bought organic skim milk, it would be more like $15+ per week. That certainly would add up in the long run. $6 for organic milk seems like a lot compared to the $2.85 I'm used to paying. And the chicken, dear god. 14 oz. of hormone-free is already expensive at $6, but if I went organic, it would be more like $14. For things like cooking in bulk for our meal swap group, I'd go broke.

There is certainly a socioeconomic pressure on organic buying. I understand why organic stuff is more expensive, given that demand is lower, farms are fewer and smaller, and they may use more expensive methods to farm organically than do mass market farms, so it can get passed onto the consumer. I don't blame organic producers for the prices given these facts, but there is just no way an individual/couple/family on a budget could afford to buy completely organic and still eat healthily, in my opinion.

Any of you make give and take trades on your organic buying?