When cooking, I often specify organic for some ingredients, but not others. I know there are other considerations, but from a healthy cooking perspective, here's how I decide when to go organic.
For a long time, I didn't know what to make of organics. They were so expensive, and the organic produce always looked older and sadder at the regular supermarket than its conventionally-bred brethren.
I began to change when the issue of overexposure to Alar, a pesticide commonly used on apples, became big news in 1989. At that time, I was eating an apple every day for lunch. Suddenly, the organic apples looked better to me, and I began buying them when they were available. But I still wasn't convinced about other fruits and vegetables.
My true change of heart came when Consumer Reports began recommending that consumers always buy organic for certain produce items1. Drawing on government data, they listed a dozen or so fruits and vegetables that frequently tested positive for pesticide residue, even after washing (and sometimes peeling!). I decided that, when a mainstream non-profit organization like Consumer Reports said there was a problem, it was time for me to listen. I began to seriously change my buying and eating habits.
These days my list comes from the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit committed to exposing problems with toxic contaminants. They analyze data from the USDA Pesticide Testing program and annually publish their findings. The group just released their 2011 report EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce on June 20th, listing the latest Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, as follows:
Most frequently contaminated/ highest in pesticide residue -- eat organic!
- Apples
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Nectarines (imported)
- Grapes (imported)
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
- Blueberries (domestic)
- Lettuce
- Kale/collard greens
Lowest in pesticide residue
- Onions
- Sweet Corn**
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe (domestic)
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
**Genetically modified (GMO) sweet corn is not labeled so in the US. If you have concerns about GMOs, then buy organic sweet corn.
Now I shop according to the list. For items in the Dirty Dozen, I try very hard to buy organic, and if it doesn't look good at the supermarket, I go to an organic grocery. For items in the Clean 15, I don't worry too much. And for everything else, I either lean towards organic or consult EWG's full list and make a judgment call.
Yes, organic produce is more expensive. But I think it's worth it to avoid eating pesticides. Even though the exposures for individual items may be low and the USDA says they're within regulatory tolerances, they must add up if you're eating healthy amounts of fruits and veggies every day. And when you're trying to eat a particularly plant-based diet, I think it's even more important to lower the volume of pesticides consumed!
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1 Consumer Reports' original article does not seem to be available on the web, but here's one from February 2006, "Starting the Year Right"
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