If I only bought organic [0] produce for my family to eat, I'd be broke. I always compare prices of organic and conventional, and sometimes I just can't bear to pay, say, $4.99 for a pint of organic blueberries when the regular berries are half that price.
The only one in our family who eats solely organic is our baby Sadie, and the fact that I can spend $30 on a few days' worth of organic, all-natural fruits, vegetables, and snacks for her at Whole Foods is even more of a testament to the fact that limiting our entire household to organic goods would be prohibitive.
Obviously, I don't want to expose the rest of my family to pesticides and other toxins, and I like the idea of supporting farmers and businesses that are doing their best to protect the environment. How to compromise?
Perhaps you've heard of the "Dirty Dozen." I'm not talking about the wartime classic movie [1], I'm talking about the list that the Environmental Working Group [2] has put together of the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables [3]. According to the group, consumers can lower their pesticide exposure by nearly 90 percent if they avoid eating the conventional versions of this produce. The "Cleanest 12," or least contaminated fruits and vegetables are also tracked, and the EWG claims that if you stick to these choices, you'll be exposed to less than 2 pesticides a day, compared to exposure to about 14 pesticides per day if your diet is high in "Dirty Dozen" choices.
I've downloaded and printed out the EWG's Wallet Guide [4] so that I can start buying organic where it counts the most.
As a newly minted Georgia girl, I was sad to see that peaches were among the worst offenders. And for some reason, it's difficult to find organic local peaches—the few organic ones I've had are from California, which means that even though they're organic, they've done their own brand of damage by racking up food miles.
The foods we eat most on the "dirty" list are apples, bell peppers, and spinach, so I make sure to always buy the organic versions of these. In fact, the past couple of weeks, as I've visited the handful of grocery stores that I generally frequent in my neighborhood, I've made note of the prices of these three items so that I can make sure I'm getting the best deal. Here's what I discovered:
Apples
$1.69 to $2.99 at the independent food warehouse, Your DeKalb Farmer's Market [5]
$2.29 to $2.99 at Kroger [6]
$1.99 to $2.99 at Sevananda [7], my local food co-op
$2.49 to $2.99 at Whole Foods [8]
Baby Spinach, 5 ounce package
$2.89 at DeKalb Farmer's Market
$3.49 at Kroger
$3.79 at Sevananda
$3.49 at Whole Foods
Green Peppers
$1.99/lb at DeKalb Farmer's Market
$1.79 each at Kroger
$2.69/lb at Sevananda
$1.49/lb at Whole Foods
It's interesting that no one store is unilaterally cheaper than the others, although DeKalb Farmer's Market definitely has better prices in most things (which I've noticed when I've done my entire weekly shop there—typically it can be as much as $20 cheaper than at Kroger). But it was a good exercise to compare prices so that I can know where to get the best deals, and plan accordingly as I'm in the area of certain stores.
Luckily, the EPA's Wallet Guide has some good news—some of my favorite and most frequently used fruits and vegetables, including onions, avocados, frozen peas and asparagus, are among the "Cleanest 12." It's nice to know that not everything will kill you!