Many vegetables, fruits and nuts are not sprayed with pesticides so it doesn’t pay to buy organic for those items.
Conventionally grown vegetables with the lowest residual pesticide load are:
Asparagus
Avocado
Bananas
Beans (dried)
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cantaloupe (grown in America)
Cashews
Cauliflower
Grapes (grown in America)
Eggplant
Garlic (grown in America)
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Macadamia nuts
Mango
Mushrooms
Onions
Papayas (non-GMO. Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO)
Pineapple
Rhubarb
Sesame seeds
Sweet corn (non-GMO)
Sweet peas (frozen)
Sweet potatoes
Tangerines
Watermellon
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Good to know! There are a few things on the list I’ve been buying organic when able to and they cost a lot more. Thanks!
Having lived in West Michigan very near blueberry fields I know that they do spray pesticides. Be careful!
There is more to organic certification than the amount of chemical residue found – the whole issue of the nutritional value is therefore ignored. The basis of any successful organic farm is a healthy humus rich soil, if the soil isn’t rich in humus which allows the plant to feed in the correct manner, then the plant won’t be as healthy. I’ll stick to buying organic where possible.
Hi Becky,
Do you mind sharing your sources for this info? I’d love to check how it equates for Australian produce, if I can. My list of the ‘dirty dozen’ includes broccoli and blueberries, so I was surprised to see those on your list.
Thanks, Elowyn
oh gosh Elowyn i’m a stickler for sources – can’t believe i didn’t link them. i’ll attach. thanks for catching this.
Can’t believe that re broccoli… Or grapes or onions… And what about heavy metals? Many conventional fertilisers have a lot of cadmium in them. And what of nutrient content at picking? If they’re grown in soil that lacks microorganisms and mycorrhiza due to conventional practices they’re already depleted even before storage..