The avocado has topped this year’s 'Clean 15' guide published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a list ranking the 15 fruits and vegetables contaminated with the least amount of pesticides.
Since 2004 the EWG, an independent non-profit environmental organisation, has published its yearly guide of the 15 cleanest fruits in relation to their pesticide contamination, as well as a list of the 12 produces contaminated with the highest levels of pesticides.
Avocados have constantly ranked as one of the cleanest products in previous years, and this year have climbed to the head of the class.
“It’s great to see that the 'Clean 15' list by the Environmental Working Group confirmed once again what we already knew about the avocado being the cleanest fruit on the market,' said Xavier Equihua, CEO of the World Avocado Organization (WAO). “The avocado is not just the cleanest but also one of the healthiest fruits you can find, rich in different vitamins and minerals as well as unsaturated fats, which are regarded as nutritionally beneficial. These are some of the many reasons the avocado is Europe’s favourite superfood.”
To make avocados even cleaner and healthier, WAO is working closely with GlobalGAP certified farmers. They follow strict farming guidelines set by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which strives to improve the safety of food and prevent disease developing within food produce.
