More Green for Less Green

Avoid the “dirty dozen” and buy in season to save big $$$.

Honoring her New Year’s resolution, Brenda Carlton embarked on her maiden voyage down the aisles of an organic food store. Cruising past a showcase of scenic produce, the twentysomething Baltimore social worker touched, smelled, and greatly admired.

But as she reached for a handful of peaches, she got zapped—by organic sticker shock. The fuzzy little beauties, she discovered, were priced at $2 a piece. Nearby, organic pineapples were going for $5, organic eggs for $5 a dozen, and gallon jugs of organic milk for nearly $7. As Carlton scrambled for an exit, she spied a slender jar of almond nut spread. Its stratospheric $22 tag wasn’t a typo.

Carlton was aghast—and still is. “My tiny little salary forces me to pinch pennies,” she says. “I share a studio apartment, brown bag it at work, scrimp and save, and still barely make ends meet. Who can afford a $2 peach?”

But Carlton’s real question goes beyond peaches. “How can I work more nutritious organic produce into my diet without blowing my budget?” she asks. “When is it OK to save money and buy nonorganic?”

The answer, she learned, is to be an informed consumer, savvy shopper, and thrifty cook.

Avoid the “Dirty Dozen”

Some nonorganic fruits and vegetables are virtually indistinguishable from certified organic produce. Others should be avoided even if sold at super saver prices. Knowing the difference can stretch your dollars—and safeguard your health.

That’s the conclusion of Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog organization, used data from 50,000 tests conducted by the USDA to rank 44 popular fruits and vegetables by their pesticide residue levels.

The result was a surprisingly mixed picture. The EWG determined that some nonorganic fruits and vegetables are “consistently clean,” while others practically set off sirens. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford an across-the-board 25% to 75% organic upcharge on your grocery bill, the EWG suggests finding green substitutes for the “Dirty Dozen.” Sure, warehouse prices may woo the bargain hunter in you, but the health risks associated with these toxic 12 make them not worth the gamble, says Cindy Burke, author of To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly Foods.

Regrettably, the EWG’s dirty dozen list reads like a who’s who of America’s favorite produce. Sweet, succulent peaches turned in the worst performance, maxing out the EWG’s pesticide index with a jaw-dropping score of 100. Apples did almost as badly, rating a dismal 96. Rounding out the list were sweet bell peppers, strawberries, cherries, and lettuce. Consumer groups have long warned about the risks of strawberries and lettuce. The EWG’s study shows these two items are just the tip of a pesticidal iceberg.

The flipside? Burke says what she calls the “Clean 15” are about as safe as organic versions. Onions are the cleanest, followed by avocados, pineapples, mangos, and kiwis. Notably, peaches have a pesticide index 100 times higher than onions or avocados. This difference is simply enormous, particularly given that science often argues over the tiniest fractional differences.

Making the right call regarding produce is easy. But Carlton and millions of other financially squeezed Americans face tougher decisions when mulling the EWG’s midrange performers. Nonorganic produce that tested in the middle to high 40s included red raspberries, plums, oranges, and domestic grapes. Items in the very low 30s included lemons, winter squash, and tomatoes. Buying organic substitutes for these—especially if you have children, are pregnant, or have compromised health—is a good investment, Consumer Reports says.

These findings beg the $64,000 question: Why do peaches have so much pesticide residue and pineapples and mangos so little? Some crops simply have better natural defenses. Most insects find aromatic cruciferous veggies a huge turn-off. Ditto for garlic and onions, which also benefit from tough skins. Similarly, tropical fruits and produce that have hard or thick protective skins typically need less chemical protection.

Not so with peaches. Sweet, vulnerable peaches are a pest’s dream food. To keep up appearances, farmers douse them with up to nine applications of pesticides and fungicides.

Wash and Peel

Does rinsing produce make much of a difference? The answer is a resounding yes. A team of Connecticut researchers has determined that rubbing lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes under tap water for 30 seconds significantly reduces the surface residue of nine of 12 pesticides and fungicides. Surprisingly, these same researchers found mild liquid detergents and specialized produce washes no more effective than tap water. One of the researchers, Walter Krol, PhD, says he’s far more concerned about such proven biological threats as E. coli and Salmonella.

A University of Maine study found water and produce washes equally effective at removing microbes on produce. Ironically, however, the USDA cautions against washing produce with even mild detergents. In a case of fuzzy logic, government officials argue that these soapy products are not approved for contact with food, whereas endocrine-disruptor pesticides are.

A study conducted at a San Antonio research institute found that washing and peeling produce completely eliminated pesticide residues in about one half of tested produce samples and reduced the levels in the remaining items by 30% to almost 100%. But at least one research team concluded otherwise, maintaining that rinsing produce merely reduces pesticide residues “to within [Environmental Protection Agency] tolerances.” This standard may not satisfy all consumers.

Notably, Consumer Reports performed its test on unwashed produce, which it says is more consistent with the practices of on-the-go Americans. Senior scientist Urvashi Rangan, PhD, suggests using a “scrubby brush” to clean most produce other than delicate raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

Consumers may find broccoli a hassle to clean, but it’s also one of Burke’s Clean 15. The Seattle author and mother is more cautious about imported bananas, oranges, and grapes, all of which get blasted by armies of fumigators when they arrive at U.S. ports.

Celery is particularly bad. “Celery is basically a water-uptake mechanism that absorbs pesticides and pollutants” like a sponge, Burke says. “The pesticide is in every cell and can’t be washed off.” With a pesticide index of 85, celery sprinkled into a salad with lettuce (69), spinach (60), carrots (57), and cucumbers (52) yields a creation only a mad scientist could love. On the other hand, a tropical salsa of avocado (1), onions (1), pineapple (7), and mango (9) is quintessentially healthful.

Peeling fruit and vegetables greatly reduces pesticide exposure but also eliminates vital nutrients. But sometimes there is no choice, Consumer Reports says. Some researchers recommend peeling all root vegetables—especially carrots—even if organic. Burke says she buys only organic potatoes. “Farmers use so many toxic pesticides on nonorganic potatoes,” she says. “I also buy only organic apples, pears, and strawberries.”

Canned fruits and vegetables typically have lower pesticide residues than fresh, partly because canned items don’t need the heavy pesticide regimen that future showcase champions do and partly because the intensive canning process removes most toxins. Nonorganic peaches are a good winter choice, Burke says.

Wise Shopper, Thrifty Cook

Los Angeles resident Claire Kobayashi has developed an arsenal of “guerrilla tactics” for stretching her organic dollar. “One thing I’ve learned is organic food stores have sales just like big supermarkets—sometimes with big price reductions,” she says. “I stock up during sales and comparison shop always. Prices really do differ from store to store.”

Burke buys the Clean 15 from any supermarket but always buys produce only when it’s in season, affordable, and doesn’t require a season-defying chemical boost. “During winter, I avoid strawberries, raspberries, bell peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers,” she says. “Generally, if produce is green in winter, I either buy organic or avoid them, except for nonorganic broccoli, avocado, cabbage, and kiwi, which are fine nonorganic.”

Burke also buys only organic peaches. “In season, I buy a whole case of peaches, cut them up, and mix them with sugar, then store them in freezer bags. Summer months, I buy berries in bulk when they are cheap, and then all winter long enjoy blueberry pancakes and raspberry sauce. In winter, I load up on citrus, enjoy it thoroughly, but when spring comes, I’m ready for strawberries.”

Kobayashi, a recording studio engineer, has learned that many foundational organic ingredients—flour, sugar, grains, beans, lentils, potatoes, and carrots—are relatively inexpensive and can be transformed into tasty breads, soups, casseroles, and desserts. She also switched to soy milk, which she buys on sale and stocks in her pantry.

Consumer Reports also recommends buying organic meat and poultry, eggs, dairy products, and baby foods. Boston resident Steven Horowitz says going vegetarian has saved him a bundle, especially given the sky-high price of organic meats. Burke uses organic meats more as a flavoring than as dinner features.

Some people, even those in congested urban areas, discover that by joining local farming cooperatives, they can grow their own food and save big money.

Having done her homework, Carlton today looks at the big picture. “To me, the organics-or-nonorganics debate misses the larger benefit of going green. When I buy organics, I now understand that I’m paying a bit extra to help buy social justice, a cleaner world, more humane treatment of workers, and a sustainable future. When you consider these incredible [benefits], organic food isn’t so much about dollars and cents. It’s really an investment in my health, in our community, and in the world at large.”

In the meantime, she’s steering clear of the $22 jars of almond nut spread.

— Matthew Robb is a freelance writer, psychotherapist, and outdoor enthusiast based in Washington, D.C.

Cleaning Foods the EPA Way

The Environmental Protection Agency offers the following tips to reduce pesticide residue on foods:
• Wash and scrub all fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.
• Soaking produce in water doesn’t have the same abrasive effect as running water.
• Peel fruits and vegetables when possible.
• Discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
• Trim fat from meat and skin from poultry. Pesticide residue can collect in fat.
Eat a variety of foods from a variety of sources. This will provide a better mix of nutrients and reduce the likelihood of exposure to a single pesticide.

How Organic Is Organic?

The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) study makes clear that a diet of “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables exposes individuals to 20 different pesticides.

On one level, these findings remind us that we need to choose our food thoughtfully. But on another level, the EWG’s pesticide index suggests the need for appending a big black asterisk to the USDA’s food pyramid. Health-minded individuals who unknowingly eat ample servings of dirty dozen produce may be doing themselves as much harm as good.

The EWG is hardly alone in its concern. A 2003 study by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that small children and fetuses are especially vulnerable to pesticides. Consumer Reports recommends organic baby food because the manufacturing of nonorganic baby food tends to condense fruits and vegetables—and their pesticides—into tiny concentrated servings. Experts also believe that children who guzzle box after box of apple or orange juice may be ingesting potentially dangerous levels of pesticides.

The good news? A 2006 study by Emory University showed that when kids are switched to an organic diet, the drop in pesticide levels in their urine is “dramatic and immediate.”

But the larger point is this: Pesticides are just one of many possible threats to our nation’s food supply. Aside from the so-called frankenfood factor of genetically altered ingredients, our food is exposed to antibiotics, hormones, environmental estrogens, and heavy metals. How great is this threat? Research is lacking, but the absence of information does not imply safety, the EWG reminds. What the research gaps do suggest is the impossibility of being a truly informed consumer.

Organic produce is safer, but shoppers shouldn’t expect Edenlike purity. The rules governing organic foods are being watered down by the federal government, agribusiness, and many farmers. Currently, many of the organic foods produced by some of the nation’s 8,000-plus organic farmers test positive for pesticide residues, although at about one third the average level of nonorganics.

The idea that organics have any pesticide residue may surprise some consumers, but the USDA permits the use of certain biological pesticides and fungicides on organic crops. In addition, soil contaminated by dangerous organochlorine pesticides can leach onto organic crops years after the federal government banned their use. And tainted groundwater from other farms can cause cross-contamination.

For now, perhaps the best advice is the all too familiar caveat emptor.