Organic this, organic that. Organic is everywhere these days. It seems like a fad, but the power behind organic is more than just monetary. There are some truly scary health problems for humans and the ecosystem linked to pesticides. For thousands of years humans managed to produce enough food to feed themselves and be prepared for famine all without the use of GM crops, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and big agriculture. In the last 200 years, farming and agriculture have made leaps and bounds in technology, some good, and some really bad.
Unfortunately, organic food can be expensive and rather inaccessible in some areas. Of course, there is always the cheapest and best option of producing organic produce in your own backyard. Another great cost-effective option is to spend your dollars wisely by picking and choosing where you will and will not spend money on organic foods.
The following list is known as ‘The Dirty Dozen’. It was developed by the Environmental Working Group to help educate consumers about the foods they are buying and consuming so they can make informed choices about what they spend their money on. This is the most recent list available which was recently released in 2011.
The Dirty Dozen
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries