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Debunking the Dirty Dozen
Is it really that important to eat organic fruits & veggies right now?
Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out this little list, you may have heard of it.
The "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" are lists of the fruits and vegetables that are believed to contain the highest and lowest amounts of pesticide residues, respectively.
In the light of current events, I was shocked to learn they plan to roll out the newest update of this list on March 25, 2020. While Americans are panic buying food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and more, I can’t help but think this is entirely tone-deaf, unnecessary, and downright harmful to public health efforts.
The nutrients in fruits and vegetables, in any form, conventional or organic, support health in a multitude of ways. It doesn’t take a nutrition degree to know that these foods are good for us. Why encourage any type of messaging that dissuades us from eating certain types of produce when our health is threatened by a global pandemic?
Peer reviewed research shows fear-based messaging regarding pesticide residues resulted in low income consumers stating they were less like to purchase any produce — organic or conventional. Sensationalized headlines and messaging taken out of context is confusing at…
