On June 13, 2011, the Environmental Working Group ("EWG") released the 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The report was based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") and Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") that was compiled between 2000 and 2009. According to EWG, the purpose of the report is to help parents avoid feeding their children produce that is contaminated with pesticides. According to an online statement made by EWG, the report "is not built on a complex assessment of pesticide risks but instead reflects the overall pesticide loads of common fruits and vegetables."
This year, apples topped EWG's "Dirty Dozen" list of the most contaminated produce items. According to the report, 98% of conventionally grown apples sold in stores contain pesticide residue and 92% contain two or more pesticide residues. Other items at the top of the list included celery , strawberries, peaches, and spinach. The least contaminated items included white onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avacado, and asparagus.
Various industry representatives condemned the EWG report, pointing out that the USDA report on which it was based shows that fruits and vegetables are safe for human consumption. The Alliance for Food and Farming countered the EWG report with its own pesticide calculator, which is available at http://www.safefruitsandveggies.com. According to the calculator, "[a] woman could consume 529 servings of apples in one day without any effect even if the apples have the highest pesticide residue recorded for apples by USDA" while a man could consume 571 apples, a teen could comsume 298 apples, and a child could consume 154 apples.
The EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce is available at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/.