Dear Reader,

The scientific community has established that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals on produce can adversely affect our health.

The easy answer is to buy organically grown produce, because it contains only a small fraction of the toxic chemicals present in conventionally grown produce.

But what are we to do when we are not able to find fresh organically grown produce, or when the cost of organic fruits and vegetables is beyond our budget?

Knowledge is Power
One answer is to learn which conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are the safest and which are the most toxic. Below, is a list of the produce found to consistently have the highest - and lowest - levels of pesticide residue. Some of our favorite summer fruits are the most toxic; while onions, avocado, papaya and pineapple are least toxic. If you are on a tight budget, maybe buying just the most toxic summer fruit in organic form can be a workable answer.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
The data used to create this list considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic whenever possible.

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	89
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	82
7	Cherries	75
8	Pears	65
9	Grapes - Imported	65
10	Spinach	60
11	Lettuce	59
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	53
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	45
19	Grapes - Domestic	43
20	Oranges	42
21	Grapefruit	40
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Honeydew Melon	31
26	Tomatoes	30
27	Sweet Potatoes	30
28	Watermelon	28
29	Winter Squash	27
30	Cauliflower	27
31	Blueberries	24
32	Papaya	21
33	Broccoli	18
34	Cabbage	17
35	Bananas	16
36	Kiwi	14
37	Sweet peas - frozen	11
38	Asparagus	11
39	Mango	9
40	Pineapples	7
41	Sweet Corn - frozen	2
42	Avocado	1
43 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Note: Grapes are listed twice because both domestic and imported samples were tested.

This list is based on an analysis of federal pesticide-testing data developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group, based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004.

We hope that you find this list helpful as Liddell’s goal is to help you to significantly reduce our family’s exposure to the toxic chemicals often found in our food.

Additional Help
To help our bodies detoxify from past and current chemical exposures, Liddell offers Detox Chemicals. This product also provides relief for symptoms associated with the accumulation of toxins: feeling tired, dizziness, weakness, headache, poor concentration, & dry skin. Click here if you would like more information.

Kind regards,
Randy Powers
President, Liddell Laboratories