Have you ever heard of the dirty dozen in the produce world? It’s basically a list that is published every year for the past 13 years by the Environmental Working Group that ranks the pesticide contamination of 48 common fruits and vegetables. If the pesticide levels are high, the produce item can land on the Dirty Dozen list; if the pesticide levels are low, the produce item can land on the Clean Fifteen list.
While the list is normally the same year after year, there is some fluctuation from time to time. This year USDA researchers found a total of 178 different pesticides and pesticide breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples they analyzed. Yowzas. That’s crazy! Here are some other key things they noticed:
- Spinach samples had an average of twice as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.
- The most contaminated sample of strawberries had 20 different pesticides.
- Nearly all samples of strawberries, spinach, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apples tested positive for residue of at least one pesticide.
Here are the lists so you know what you need to wash like crazy or maybe soak in a nice vinegar bath before eating, and what fruits and veggies are on the safer end.
The Dirty Dozen
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
The Clean Fifteen
- Sweet Corn
- Avocados
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Sweet peas frozen
- Papayas
- Asparagus
- Mangos
- Eggplant
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Grapefruit
Check out all their findings HERE.
Elise says
Just a super quick comment, I need to get to the office…
I’ve read that the spray pesticides get IN TO the flesh of apples and stone fruits (one reason they have so much compared to other produce). So washing them or even peeling them won’t help. I only buy organic stone fruits and apples for my kids. If you’re feeding kids or are immune compromised, you should really stay away from conventional fruits that have a dimple at the top. Sprays puddle there and then soak in to the fruit 🙁
And then there are articles (from reliable sources) that indicate that the actual amount of pesticides in even the dirty dozen aren’t “really” that bad, and it shouldn’t matter… There’s a little for everybody in this 🙂 (as always)
Peace out, Girl Scout [LOVE that one 🙂 ]
Kristina says
Also, organic uses pesticides, too, and USDA doesn’t test for them on fruit going to market. So, if you really care, it’s best to have a relationship with a farmer. This is a good article that articulates how the testing works. It’s pretty nuanced, and not critical of organic.
http://vitals.lifehacker.com/why-you-shouldnt-buy-organic-based-on-the-dirty-dozen-1689190822
Frankly, I’ve read so many well-documented articles critical of EWG, I investigate further before I take their findings at face value.
TX Deborah says
This is why we like to grow as much of our own produce as possible. I love a spinach salad with strawberries in it. But, I want to grow my own.
Brianna says
I’m suprised to see cabbage and cauliflower on the clean list just because of the way they grow and all of the pests that love those two veggies. Why sweet peas frozen? Are fresh ones dirty or is it because they loose their shells where any pesticide residue might be during processing? Nothing else on those two lists surprise me.
Desiree says
Does this apply to organic fruits and veggies too?
Chris says
Washing really hard won’t do it, unfortunately. The group who produces the dirty dozen list says to avoid conventional versions of that produce (i.e. – Stick to organic or home-grown).