The Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen

, November 25, 2020 in Diet and Nutrition

Pesticides have become a widely used product in our food system. Worldwide, we use about 6 billion pounds of pesticide per year. The average person is exposed to some level daily from the food and water they consume. In the past few years, more information has come to light about the potential dangers of these chemical products. In 2015, the WHO announced that glyphosate (the main ingredient in the pesticide RoundUp), is “probably carcinogenic to humans.

If you are concerned about your exposure to pesticides, there are some fruits and vegetables that have higher pesticide residue than others. These have been nicknamed the “Dirty Dozen.”

You can download our “Dirty Dozen” list here:
VHP_Dirty_Dozen.pdf

Organic produce can be more expensive, but luckily there are also some fruits and vegetables with very low pesticide residue that are safe to purchase non-organic. These have been nicknamed the “Clean Fifteen.”

You can download our “Clean Fifteen” list here:
VHP_Clean_15.pdf

Keep these on your phone to have on hand while shopping!