Love strawberries?

To avoid the pesticides on nonorganic strawberries, buy organic! Like all organic fruits, vegetables and fibers, organic strawberries are grown without the use of toxic persistent pesticides.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" ranks nonorganic strawberries as the third worst type of produce for pesticide contamination. EWG recommends that shoppers choose organic when buying strawberries. Many of the pesticides used by conventional strawberry growers are designed to be taken in by the cells of the plant. So you can’t wash the pesticides off, because they’re inside the fruit. 

The pesticides the USDA has found on strawberries include toxins known to cause cancer, developmental problems, reproductive problems and nervous system damage in humans. They also include chemicals that are toxic to honeybees and contribute to colony collapse disorder.*

Not just when they're fresh.

Remember to choose organic not just when you’re buying fresh strawberries but also when you buy jelly, jam, baked goods, drinks, salads or any other foods containing strawberries. Including yogurt!

When you eat a Stonyfield Organic strawberry yogurt, you know you’re eating organic strawberries, because that’s the only sort we use. And the only sort of fruit we use.

Each year, we buy 6 million pounds of organic fruit—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches and more—for use in our yogurts. To hear what our cofounder, Gary, has to say about the importance of organic fruit, watch our 4-minute video "Pure Fruit."

*Based on information from Pesticide Action Network.