Most of our food is grown non-organically, which means it is treated with pesticides or other chemicals. Inevitably some of those chemicals end up in the food, and therefore in us. We can reduce our pesticide intake by growing our own food, or buying organic food, or food from farms that use minimal chemicals, but that can be expensive - is it worth it?
The amount of pesticides in foods varies depending on the type of food, and of course where it is grown. The Pesticide Action Network UK are committed to tackling the problems caused by pesticides. They produce a list of the 12 most contaminated foods - the Dirty Dozen. This list is based on government data.
The list shows the 12 foods most contaminated with multiple chemical residues. Unfortunately the government don't test the same foods every years so patterns can be hard to spot, so in addition to this year's list the Pesticide Action Network have produced a summary list of the data collected between 2018 and 2023.
This year's list includes foods other than fruit and veg, and so bread, rather scarily, appears at number 7 on the list - 54% of bread tested contained multiple chemical residues. Not all of the food on the list is grown in the UK, the data is from food for sale in the UK, much of this is grown elsewhere. Citrus fruit are always high on the list, this year 96% of soft citrus (for example tangerines and clementines) contained pesticides, and did 95% of oranges and 89% of lemons. Over the past 5 years 100% of grapefruit have been found to contain pesticides. It might be more expensive but look for organic citrus fruit whenever you can - you can buy direct from organic growers via Crowdfarming.
The good news is that root veg are generally lower in chemicals, so potatoes, carrots, swedes, parsnips, and sweet potatoes are rarely on the list, although this year 38% of carrots contained chemicals. Organic carrots are readily available - and taste better anyway!
You can see the here. My advice is to check the lists and tailor your shopping to buy organic as much as you can, especially for the foods that appear in the Dirty Dozen.
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