In an ideal world, we would all shop from our local farmer’s market, where everything would be organic, seasonal, and ethically produced. We would know the sweet couple selling us fruit and vegetables on a first name basis. Fresh tomatoes would come from our own backyard and apples off our very own tree. But most of us don’t live in that world. Unfortunately, the perks of city life mean that many of us urban-dwellers have less access than we’d like to locally farmed produce. Another aspect of city life? It’s expensive. While I try to always get organic produce, sometimes you have to make a choice. That’s why it’s important to know exactly what fruit and veg are contaminated with the most pesticides, or rather which ones to always buy organic no matter what.

The EWG has compiled two very handy lists called the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.

The Clean 15 tells you what produce has been found to have very little to no traces of pesticide and are therefore O.K. to purchase conventionally.

The Dirty Dozen is a list of produce that you should always try to purchase organically because of their high traces of pesticide.

Save these lists somewhere handy on your phone so that you can refer to them as you navigate the aisles of your local grocery store.
What do you always buy organic? Let us know in the comments below!