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Organic products have gotten a bum rap by the mainstream media for years, that is until very recently. Organic foods have come into their won in the last couple of years and I, personally, celebrate the change. Who wouldn’t want to eat less pesticides and synthetic hormones. So what does organic mean? Certified Organic foods are regulated by the USDA. The rules state that vegetables can’t be grown with chemical pesticides, can’t be fertilized with sewage sludge, and can’t be genetically modified. Orangic animals must eat organic feed, can’t be treated with antibotics or hormones, and must be allow to roam in the great outdoors.
So what foods are the best to buy organic?  According to a recent article in Bon Appetit - there are twelve major offenders that you may want to buy organically. These include: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. The twelve least contaminated fruits and veggies include: onions, avocados, sweet corn(frozen), pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas (frozen), kiwis, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and papaya.Â
Look for more organic pieces in the future and for more information check out www.ams.usda.gov, www.localharvest.org, and www.organicconsumers.org or read the “Why Buy Organic?” article in the January issue of Bon Appetit.