An apple a day … means you’re eating plenty of the most contaminated fruit, says new report
They’re wonderfully shiny and come in delightful shades of red, green and yellow — but apples top the contaminated by pesticides list says a new report.
In contrast, onions hardly scream ‘I’m beautiful and delicious’ in a store’s fruit and veg section, but they are the cleanest.
The seventh annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce report from the Environmental Working Group details contamination by pesticides and fungicides in fruit and vegetables.
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According to researchers at Purdue University in Indiana, apples now top the list as the most contaminated by pesticides, even after they are peeled and washed.
Apples jumped three spots from last year, bumping celery to number two.
Strawberries are the third most contaminated fruit and veg and other popular fruits such as grapes, blueberries are not that far behind.
CLEANEST FRUIT & VEG
THE DIRTIEST
1) Apples
2) Celery
3) Strawberries
4) Peaches
5) Spinach
According to the group, eating five servings a day of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables is akin to ingesting 14 different pesticides per day.
While the chemicals keep both bugs and bacteria away from crops, they are also linked to various health problems, from nervous system disorders to cancer.