Revealed: The foods worth buying organic – and where you’re wasting your money
From fresh fruits and vegetables to dairy, fish, meat and cupboard staples like diced tomatoes, beans and flour, eating organic has never been easier.
Organic foods are produced according to strict agricultural standards that limit the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides (substances used to kill, repel or control pests in certain foods during production).
There is also greater focus on animal welfare; farmed animals are fed organically grown food, given more freedom to roam outdoors rather than being caged or kept mostly indoors their entire lives, and raised with tighter restrictions on the use of antibiotics.
While conventional farming is also heavily regulated, organic farming is widely accepted to be better for the environment, animal welfare and, some say, human health.
Perhaps that’s why the latest Organic Market Report, published in March, revealed that 83 per cent of British consumers now buy organic produce, particularly milk, eggs and carrots.
But given that organic foods often carry a higher price tag at a time when many households are struggling financially, which foods are actually worth buying organic, and where might your money be better spent elsewhere?
We consulted experts to find out.
Nichola Ludlam-Raine, expert dietitian and author How to Avoid Consuming Ultra Processed Foods?says shoppers should prioritize buying organic foods, especially those eaten with their skins, which are otherwise more likely to contain chemical pesticide residues.
From fresh fruit and vegetables to dairy, fish, meat and staples like diced tomatoes, beans and flour, eating organic has never been easier
Why pesticides can make buying organic worthwhile
Chemical pesticides are applied to crops to combat weeds, insects, and fungi that can attack crops and harm food growth. While these invisible and tasteless substances are important in preserving food (mostly fruits and vegetables), some pesticides can also pose risks to human health if exposure levels are very high.
Research shows that just under half of traditional farmers and agricultural workers worldwide suffer from pesticide poisoning each year due to frequent exposure.
Nearly 90 percent of organic farmers certified by the Soil Association, an organic certification body in the United Kingdom, use no pesticides. Traditional farmers use hundreds of farmers, while others use 15 to 30 farmers.
Worryingly, studies have found that some pesticides can be acutely toxic, meaning they can cause harmful or potentially fatal effects within 48 hours of exposure.
Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning include sore throat, cough, skin and eye irritation, allergic reactions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches. In more severe cases, exposure can lead to extreme weakness, loss of consciousness, seizures, and death.
Hello, I’m Emma Bardwell, a nutritionist with over 15 years of experience helping people improve their health and lose weight.
I’ve been there. I was overweight, unhappy with my skin, and in a rut. Then I changed the way I ate. Now you can do the same with my tried and tested healthy eating plan. It is completely free for DailyMail+ subscribers.
The World Health Organization says pesticide exposure for consumers is ‘significantly lower’, but previous research found 44 per cent of European food tested positive for pesticides.
This is concerning because intake of high levels of the chemicals has been linked to diseases such as cancer.
However, the levels of pesticides found on food are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, and the Food Standards Agency recommends washing fruit and vegetables before eating to ensure they are clean of bacteria, soil and pesticide residues.
What foods might be worth buying organic
Pesticide Action Network UK, a charity campaigning against the use of chemicals, analyzed official government data at the end of 2025 to reveal the ‘Dirty Dozen’ of foods with the most pesticide residues in the UK.
At the top of the list is grapefruit; This means that 99 percent of the fruits analyzed contained residues of more than one pesticide. Behind this are grapes (90 percent), lemon (79 percent), banana (67 percent) and pepper (49 percent).
Rounding out the ‘Dirty Dozen’ were melon (46 percent), beans (38 percent), red pepper (38 percent), mushrooms (31 percent), broccoli (26 percent), eggplant (23 percent) and dried beans (21 percent).
Ms Ludlam-Raine says: ‘If you’re shopping on a budget, I’d recommend prioritizing organic options for foods that tend to carry higher pesticide residues when eaten with their skins, such as aubergines, mushrooms and peppers, or washing them thoroughly beforehand.’
Chemical pesticides are applied to crops to combat weeds, insects, and fungi that can attack crops and harm food growth.
What foods you don’t need to buy organic
On the other side of PAN UK’s list is the ‘Clean Fifteen’, which examines foods with the lowest pesticide residues.
In the 2019 report, beets, corn on the cob, mushrooms, figs, rhubarb, swede and turnips all led the way with 0 percent of analyzed samples containing pesticide residue.
These were followed by onion (1 percent), avocado (2 percent), cauliflower (3 percent), radish (4 percent), sweet potato (6 percent) and broad beans, leeks, zucchini and zucchini (8 percent).
Experts say this means the benefits of buying food organic may be minimal.
Ms Ludlam-Raine adds: ‘For foods with thick protective skins or skins, such as avocados and onions, the benefits of buying organic are likely to be much smaller.’
Why buying organic meat and dairy products can improve your health
In addition to being protected against pesticide residues, organic farm animals live better lives than animals raised on intensive factory farms, where they are often kept in cages and fed poorer diets.
Some studies even suggest that organic milk and meat may contain higher levels of omega-3 fats because organic farm animals eat more nutritious diets than those living on standard farms.
It has been determined that omega-3 provides the body with essential fatty acids that are important for heart health and reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Ms Ludlam Raine adds: ‘If the budget allows, some people may opt for organic meat and dairy for animal welfare or environmental reasons, but from a nutritional perspective I would focus more on choosing lean meats and fatty fish and eating a generally balanced diet (including rapeseed oil and nuts for omega-3 fats).’
Lee Holdstock, head of commercial and regulatory affairs at the Soil Association, says he can ‘say with confidence’ that organic food is ‘different’.
He continued: ‘If we do different agriculture, we will get different quality products. For example, in fruits and vegetables, we know that organically grown fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of polyphenolic compounds (antioxidants and anti-inflammatories).
Holdstock argues that ‘research shows higher levels’ of these beneficial compounds in organically grown fruits and vegetables, describing this as ‘a bonus’ of eating organic.
He added: ‘When we look at things like meat and dairy, there are repeated studies showing that organic farming provides better fatty acids and less of the harmful fatty acids linked to health problems.’
Mr Holdstock also recommended shoppers use resources such as the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list to help them prioritize which organic products are most worth buying.
Grapefruit led the UK Pesticide Action Network’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ program – meaning 99 per cent of fruit analyzed contained residues of more than one pesticide
Why the benefits of organic products may not be worth the cost
Not all experts agree that organic is better.
Gunter Kuhnle, professor of food and nutritional sciences at the University of Reading, believes that those who can afford to eat organic food will naturally be healthier.
Research has consistently found that higher levels of wealth are associated with living in Britain and living healthier lives.
Professor Kuhnle argues: ‘From a health perspective alone, I don’t think organic food is really worth the extra cost.
‘As far as I can tell, you want to have better working conditions and better living conditions for livestock, especially when it comes to meat. I can totally understand this.
‘Or if you say, I want to use organic because I don’t like intensive agriculture. This is an understandable approach. Although organic farming of course requires more space in general, so it uses more space.
‘And whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is again quite complicated. But I don’t think there is an easy and simple answer to this. It’s not better or worse.’
In terms of pesticides, he added that the volume used was ‘so low that it does not harm health’.
However, he admitted: ‘TThere is always a risk of adding too much. toyou can’t ignore this. And there are always recalls when a mistake is made somewhere.’
Ludlam-Raine concludes: ‘For most people, the biggest health benefit comes from eating more fruit and vegetables in general, rather than worrying about whether they are organic.’
He continued: ‘Given that most adults in the UK still struggle to eat five square meals a day, I would rather see someone eating conventionally grown strawberries, apples and broccoli rather than avoiding them altogether because organic options are too expensive.
‘Organic farming also has its challenges. It often takes more land to achieve the same yield, can be more costly for consumers, and may not address all environmental concerns.
‘However, some people choose organic food for ethical, environmental or animal welfare reasons, which are entirely valid.
‘Overall, organic food can be a nice-to-have, but it’s not a nutritional must-have. If choosing organic helps someone eat more fruits, vegetables, and minimally processed foods, that’s great.
‘But if the higher price means buying less produce overall, I’d always recommend prioritizing quantity, variety and affordability over the organic label and washing and/or peeling before eating.’
