Most people are not aware that the stickers
attached to the fruits and vegetables, are there for more than just scanning
the price. The PLU code, or the price lookup number on the sticker can help you
determine if the product is genetically modified, organic or produced with
chemical fertilizers, fungicides or herbicides.
01. A four-digit code beginning with a 3 or a
4 means the produce is probably conventionally grown. The last digits of the
code represent the kind of the fruit or vegetable you are buying. For example,
bananas are always labeled with the code of 4011.
02. If there are five numbers, and the first
is “8″, then the product is genetically modified. The label on genetically
modified banana (GE-genetically engineered of GMO) would contain the numbers
84011.
03. A five-digit number that starts with a 9
means the item is organic. Organic bananas are labeled with 94011.
EWG (The Environmental Working Group)
analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular
fresh produce items.
The Environmental Protection Agency warns
that the consumption of pesticides can lead to health problems such as “birth
defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long
period of time.” Children are especially at risk of harm from pesticides.
Fruits And Vegetables To Always Buy Organic
The Dirty Dozen Plus
These foods have very high pesticide loads
and should always be purchased organic or grown yourself!
. Apples
. Celery
. Cherry
. Tomatoes
. Cucumbers
. Grapes
. Hot Peppers
. Nectarines (imported)
. Peaches
. Potatoes
. Spinach
. Strawberries
. Sweet Bell Peppers
. Kale/Collard Greens
. Summer Squash
Clean 15
The following foods were found by EWG to be
relatively low in pesticide residue. They may be good conventional options for
those on a budget.
01. Asparagus
02. Avocados
03. Cabbage
04. Cantaloupe
05. Sweet
Corn [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you want to
avoid GMOs, eat only organic corn/]
06. Eggplant
07. Grapefruit
08. Kiwi
09. Mangoes
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papayas [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you
want to avoid GMOs eat only organic papaya.]
13. Pineapples
14. Sweet Peas
15. Sweet
Potatoes
The EWG also notes that 99 percent of apples,
98 percent of peaches and 97 percent of nectarines all tested positive for at
least one pesticide residue, while the average (white) potato had more
pesticides by weight than any other produce!
This post was republished from whydontyoutrythis.com. You can find the original post here.
Sources and References:
- EWG ranks 48 produced items from most
pesticides to least here
