The USDA would like most people to believe that, in the face of the latest study released by the Environmental Working Group. They have stated that the amounts of pesticide found in the produce used in the study are in keeping with the EPA guidelines for pesticides in food.
According to the study, most of the regular produce samples it examined retained pesticide after ten seconds of washing and even peeling in some cases. They suggest that the following be bought organic if possible, because of the levels of pesticides found – apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, kale/collard greens. This is not a good excuse to give up fruits and vegetables, as the USDA and the Environmental Working Group agree that it is healthier to eat the produce after washing it than to skip fruits and vegetables altogether because of their nutritional value.