The "Plus" in the "Dirty Dozen Plus" refers to a new category that the Environmental Working Group added to their report this year. It reflects two types of produce that didn't meet the traditional Dirty Dozen criteria yet were of special concern. While they may not have been among the top 12 crops in which pesticide residues were found, these conventionally grown "Plus" crops were found to commonly be contaminated with organophosphate insecticides, which are considered to be highly toxic to the nervous system.

 

The benefits of eating organic food go straight to the farm, where no pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used to grow the organic produce shipped to grocers. That means workers and farm neighbors aren't exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, it means less fossil fuel converted into fertilizers and it means healthier soil that should sustain crops for generations to come.

 

For individuals, organic food also has benefits. Eating organic means avoiding the pesticide residue left on foods, and it may even mean more nutritious varietals, though research into that subject has yielded mixed results. While there are few if any proven health impacts from consuming trace quantities of pesticides on foods, a growing number of people take the precaution of avoiding exposure just in case, particularly in the cases of pregnant women (growing babies are exposed to most of the chemicals that mom consume) and the parents of young children.