Pesticides on your Fruits and Vegetables

I recently was looking on the web for info about organic foods and recipes for my kids. I came across an article that discusses the dangers of pesticides and how they can adversely affect people, especially during periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested for pesticides on fruits and vegetables collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Some of the produce with the highest pesticide loads included peaches, apples, and sweet bell peppers. Among those with the lowest pesticide loads were onions, avocados and sweet corn. For produce with high pesticide loads, the EWG recommends buying organic, which certainly seems to make sense. To read more about this study and to see what other types of produce made the highest and lowest pesticide load lists, go to www.foodnews.org for a free printable “Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce”.