Pesticides and False Food Labeling

The Environmental Working Group keeps  a list of the "Dirty Dozen", the fruits and vegetables tested with the highest levels of pesticides.  I am listing them here for you, but if you go their site you can download a handy shopper's guide to stick in your wallet.  If organic sources of the these fruit and veg are available and you can fit them into your budget you should.
Dirty Dozen:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens

You can possibly offset the extra cost by saving your money buying this list of the "Clean Fifteen", the fruit and veg with the lowest pesticide levels.

Clean Fifteen:

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

"Green washing" by food companies is a huge pet peeve for me.  Right up there with fingernails being drug down a chalkboard.  The following labels can be used by just about anybody and there is no third party verification required to slap these on any food containers:

• Natural
• Free Range
• Grass Fed
• Cruelty Free
• Cage Free
• Environmentally Friendly
• No Chemicals
• Vegetarian Fed

For more information on this list of meaningless labels and a list of labels that cannot be used without independent verification, see this article.