Spending More of Your Paycheck at Costco on 12 Organic Fruits and Veggies Is Worth It for One Shocking Reason
Written by
Josephine Nesbit
Edited by
Maria Concepcion
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Fresh fruits and vegetables are must-have kitchen staples for healthy eating. Organic options containing considerably lower pesticide residues are typically pricier than their non-organic compounds. However, a recent study revealed that spending more of your paycheck at Costco on certain organic fruits and veggies may be worth it.
Each year, the nonprofit organization Environmental Working Group ranks non-organic produce with the most pesticides they call “The Dirty Dozen.” The EWG compiles this list using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.“This year, EWG determined that 75 percent of all conventional fresh produce sampled had residues of potentially harmful pesticides,” according to the EWG. “But for items on the Dirty Dozen, a whopping 95 percent of samples contain pesticides.”
Pesticides, which are more commonly used in farming practices on non-organic produce, are potentially toxic to humans.
According to the World Health Organization, pesticides can have both acute and chronic health effects, and people who face the greatest health risks from pesticide exposure are those who come in contact with them at work, in their homes, or gardens. Some pesticides have also been linked to miscarriages, birth defects and learning or developmental disabilities in children, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Of the 46 items included in the EWG’s 2024 analysis, these are the 12 non-organic fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticides:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, collard and mustard greens
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Pears
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Bell and hot peppers
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Green beans
You can buy these items organic at grocery stores and warehouse clubs like Costco, but expect to pay more. According to The Motley Fool, organic produce can cost almost 40% more. But if you can’t splurge on organic, simply washing your fruits and vegetables is a safe alternative.
The CDC recommends thoroughly washing your hands and all necessary preparation materials before and after you wash your produce. Once clean, Carissa Galloway, a registered dietitian nutritionist and a Premier Protein Nutrition Consultant and Personal Trainer, spoke with CNBC Make It and recommended following these steps:
- Hold the produce under cold water in the sink.
- Remove all dirt using a clean paper towel or a clean brush dedicated to cleaning produce.
- Dry the produce with a clean paper towel (or use a salad spinner to dry leafy greens) if you aren’t planning to eat it right away. This can help preserve its ripeness.
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