Not sure which foods to buy as organic?  Well read on … 

While modern farming methods tend to focus on how much they can produce rather than on the actual nutritional quality, organic farming methods have been shown to increase the nutritional and phytochemical content of organic food.

A study published in 2013 examined the impact of organic farming on the quality of tomatoes and found the increased stress on the fruit during development resulted in a higher level of nutrients such as vitamin C.

Unfortunately the expense of a purely organic diet is out of reach for many of us.  So which foods are important to buy as organic?  Well here is the Dirty Dozen, courtesy of the U.S. based Environmental Working Group who analysed pesticide residue to come up with this ranking.

1. Apples                      

2. Strawberries                       

3. Grapes                    

4. Celery                      

5. Peaches                   

6. Spinach

7. Red Capsicum         

8. Nectarines

9. Cucumbers 

10. Cherry Tomatoes  

11. Sugar Snap Peas       

12. Potatoes