Organic Produce: Is it worth the price?

Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, explains when the higher cost of organic produce is a good value.

Incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into your daily eating plan is an essential component of a healthy diet. Organic produce has become more widely available in major grocery stores, but it is often sold at a higher price. When is organic produce worth the price?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, developed lists of the most and least important fruits and vegetables to buy organic. The “Dirty Dozen” lists the produce containing significant amounts of pesticides even after high-pressure washing. The higher price of organic produce is worthwhile for all of the items on this list.

Choosing organic for produce on the “Dirty Dozen” list can reduce pesticide exposure by as much as 80 percent, according to the EWG. Pesticide exposure has been linked to cancer, nerve damage, reproductive problems, birth defects and more.

The “Clean 15” refers to the fruits and vegetables containing the least amount of pesticides. The EWG recommends foregoing the higher price of organic produce for these items since they are safe to eat even when conventionally grown.

Next time you’re in the produce section at the grocery store or farmers’ market, refer to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” lists to determine when it is worthwhile to buy organic and when it is not. For quick reference, download the EWG’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.”

Dirty Dozen

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Clean 15

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Kiwi fruit
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Papaya

- Cara Stewart, RD, LDN