Search results
Nov 3, 2023 · The Dirty Dozen is an annual list of 12 fruits and veggies highest in pesticides. This article gives you the 2018 Dirty Dozen foods, information on pesticide use and ways to reduce exposure.
- Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
Mar 21, 2024 · Every year, the EWG's Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen provide an overview of the fruits and vegetables that contain the most and least pesticides. These lists can help you decide where it's worth it to splurge on organic produce versus save your cash for that fancy olive oil you've been eyeing.
Mar 20, 2024 · But for items on the Dirty Dozen, a whopping 95 percent of samples contain pesticides. EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce analyzes data from tests conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration on 47,510 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables.
- Avocados. Whew! Avocados were one of the cleanest conventionally grown produce items tested. Fewer than two percent of samples showed any detectable pesticide residue.
- Sweet Corn. Another hyper-clean crop, sweet corn, also contained pesticide residue in fewer than one of 50 samples. And frozen corn received a perfect score — no residues found in any samples.
- Pineapple. The thick skins of pineapples appear to create an effective barrier to most pesticides. Of the six chemicals found in samples, the most common, triadimefon, appeared just under five percent of the time.
- Onions. Regular onions (that is, not green onions or scallions) are pretty clean, whether organic or not. Despite being bombarded with a wide variety of pesticides, the majority of them are in the outer layers and skin, which are typically removed as you peel the onion.
- Strawberries. Pictured Recipe: Strawberry Tart. Strawberries remain atop the list as the most pesticide-contaminated food. According to EWG, more than 99% of the strawberries sampled tested positive for at least one pesticide and 30% had residues of 10 or more pesticides.
- Spinach. Pictured Recipe: Balsamic-Parmesan Sautéed Spinach. Spinach has more pesticide residue by weight (remember spinach leaves weigh very little) compared to any of the other produce tested, according to EWG.
- Kale, Collards and Mustard Greens. Pictured recipe: Citrus Kale Salad. According to the EWG, 86% of the conventional leafy green samples, including kale, collards and mustard greens had detectable levels of two or more pesticide residues.
- Nectarines. Over 90% of the conventional nectarine samples contained two or more pesticides, per the EWG. Healthy Nectarine Recipes.
Mar 19, 2024 · Nectarines, apples, bell and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries and green beans rounded out the list of the 12 most contaminated samples of produce. It’s dubbed the “ Dirty...
People also ask
What is the Dirty Dozen?
Does the Dirty Dozen list help you shop smarter?
What is a clean 15 & Dirty Dozen?
How many pesticides are in the Dirty Dozen?
Jul 14, 2020 · The Environmental Working Group has released the 2020 version of its annual Dirty Dozen list. Strawberries, kale, and spinach continue to top the list of 12 different vegetables and fruits that...
