Tag: dirty dozen

We learned about a new and disturbing statistic from a registered dietitian – 13 million children in the U.S. live in food insecure households. This means that those households don’t have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life. And with inflation rising, that number could grow.

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a new report regarding produce consumption and the numbers haven’t moved. Only one in 10 Americans consume enough fruits and vegetables each day, which is unchanged from previous survey levels announced in 2015.

For over 25 years, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its so-called “dirty dozen” list, which inaccurately disparages popular, affordable and more accessible fruits and vegetables.

I will be looking into the Dirty Dozen in a feature article in the May/June issue of “Produce Blueprints” magazine, but as an advance taste, I thought I would share some excerpts from an email interview with Alex Formuzis, senior vice president, communications and strategic campaigns for the EWG.

What stands out in these figures are worries about pesticide contamination: 81 percent reported being either “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” here.

At minimum, retailers should use this list as a guide to organic must-haves.

Peer reviewed research and a survey of registered dietitians has shown the potential negative impact on fruit and vegetable consumption among consumers caused by the so-called “dirty dozen” list.

And although no citrus item makes the dozen, EWG notes that more than 90 percent of citrus fruits had toxic pesticides on them when tested. 

With the expected release next month of the Environmental Working Group’s annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, also known as the “Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen,” produce advocates are preparing.