Small Steps 

So is it worth it to go organic? According to Rosenthal, consumers can reap the benefits of organic eating by knowing which products are worth the extra cash and which types of conventionally grown produce contain the lowest amounts of pesticides. 

The EWG created The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides , a printable list that ranks pesticide contamination levels for 47 popular fruits and vegetables based on 87,000 tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. The list contains produce that the EWG recommends you buy organic, as well as those that contain the lowest amount of pesticides and can be purchased in a non-organic state.

"We created the list so you can prioritize what you're going to spend your organic dollars on," Rosenthal says. "This way you can buy organic apples but save money by buying conventionally grown peas because you know they contain fewer pesticides."

More ways to save money on organic produce