Apples top pesticide list

Scott Kilman, writing in today's Wall Street Journal, put it this way:

The apple industry faces a potential public-relations headache in the wake of federal testing that found pesticide residues in 98% of America's second-most-popular fresh fruit, the highest rate among the produce screened by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a yearly survey. (More»)

These results prompted the nonprofit Environmental Working Group to recommend organic apples and to rate conventional apples as the worst of 12 most-contaminated fruits and vegetables.

(Celery and strawberries are close behind; onions, sweet corn, and pineapple are the cleanest).

Industry public-relations aside, this is not good news for apple lovers. Nonetheless the Environmental Working Group begins its report on the issue as follows:

Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. (More»)

The group recommends limiting exposure, however, by sticking to produce that is organic or that scores well on pesticide tests. Which would mean, not conventionally grown apples.

There's quite a bit of news coverage of this today (link likely to expire or change over time). In addition to the above, here is the group's press release.