How to navigate the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 Foods

Luckily I live in a city with an abundance of shopping options. There are grocery stores and farmers markets galore! And almost as many options for organic produce as there are people. I know some people aren’t as lucky and have more limited choices when it comes to shopping for fresh fruits and veggies.

Most of us know that eating lots of fruits and vegetables is super important for getting and staying healthy. A lot of my clients want to add more fruits and veggies to their diet, but like many of us, worry about the health risks from pesticides.

Pesticides are a growing problem with non-organic foods and that isn’t happy news from a health perspective. High exposure to pesticides and other toxins from our food has been linked to fertility problems, chronic illness, and even cancer.

In the 2018 Dirty Dozen report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there was evidence of pesticides or contamination with pesticides in a lot of the non organic produce tested and some produce had some alarmingly high numbers.

Keep in mind it’s not all bad news … there’s also a Clean 15 that puts you on safer ground when it comes to toxins. But as you’ll see from the Dirty Dozen, it definitely pays to go organic with some of your fruit and veggies!

The Dirty Dozen

So, what are the worst offenders when it comes to pesticides? These fruits and vegetables didn’t come out of it very well in the EWG’s 2018 and 2019 Dirty Dozen report.

1 Strawberries – Almost all samples had detectable residues of one or more pesticide with the dirtiest strawberry sample having residues of a whopping 23 different pesticides. The samples had residues of 81 different pesticides in multiple combinations.

Even worse, roughly 30% of the strawberries contained 10 or more pesticides. Some of these include carbendazim (a probable hormone disruptor, especially for males, which is banned by the European Union on safety grounds) and bifenthrin (a possible carcinogenic). As well as pesticides, the EWG highlights that strawberry fields tend to also be sprayed with poisonous fumigants that kill bugs and sterilize the soil. Some started out as chemical warfare gases!

2 Spinach – Spinach was found to be full of pesticide residue – 97% of the spinach tested mold and mildew killers, bug killers, permethrin (an insecticide linked to ADHD in kids, even at fairly low levels) and DDT are just a few of the nasties that were highlighted. The “dirtiest” spinach sample contained 18 different pesticides or pesticide residue.

3 Kale – New to the list for 2019 was Kale. With so many of us adding kale to our diets in smoothies and chips and salads it’s a huge concern because EWG found that nearly 60% of kale sampled contained the pesticide DCPA (aka Dacthal) which is considered a possible human carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor.

4 Nectarines – Almost 94% of nectarines tested contained at least two different pesticides, and one sample had 15.

5 Apples – 90% of apples tested contained pesticides or pesticide residue. Diphenylamine (which is banned in Europe) was also found in 80% of samples.

6 Grapes – Over 96% of the grapes tested had either pesticides or pesticide residue. The average number of pesticides found was five.

7 Peaches – Over 99% of peaches tested positive for pesticides, with an average of 4 different ones.

8 Cherries – On average, there were five different pesticides found in cherries. One of these was iprodione, a potentially carcinogenic pesticide that is banned in Europe.

9 Pears – Nearly half of the pears tested had 5 or more pesticides. These included carbendazim (a suspected hormone disruptor), diphenylamine (a potential carcinogenic) and acetamiprid (which is often used to kill bees).

10 Tomatoes – The average tomato sample contained four different pesticides. One sample was found to have 15 pesticides.

11 Celery – Over 95% of the celery tested was found to contain pesticides or had been contaminated with pesticides.

12 Potatoes – On a weight for weight basis, potatoes were found to have more pesticide contamination than any other produce. 

The Clean 15

There is some good news: not all of your fresh produce is quite as likely to be loaded with pesticides and other unhealthy chemicals. It varies a bit but some of the produce from the Clean 15 list hardly contained any pesticides at all.

1 Avocado – Avocado was one of the least contaminated produce items in the EWG report – less than 1% of what was tested was found to have pesticide residue.

2 Sweet corn – Along with avocado, sweet corn was one of the lesser culprits for pesticides. Less than 1% of the sweet corn tested was found to have pesticides.

3 Pineapples – 90% of the pineapples tested had no pesticides or pesticide residue.

4 Sweet peas (frozen) – Around 80% of the frozen sweet peas tested didn’t feature any pesticides or pesticide residue. None of the sweet pea samples had more than two pesticides.

5 Onions – None of the onion samples had more than three pesticides, and over 90% didn’t contain any pesticides.

6 Papayas – 750 papaya samples were tested and none contained more than three pesticides. Roughly 80% of the papayas tested had no pesticide residue.

7 Eggplant – Around 75% of the eggplants tested had no pesticide residue and none contained more than two pesticides.

8 Asparagus – 90% of the asparagus samples tested had no pesticide residue and none of them contained more than three pesticides.

9 Kiwi

10 Cabbage

11 Cauliflower

12 Cantaloupe

13 Broccoli

14 Mushrooms

15 Honeydew

What about washing and peeling produce?

Washing your produce gets rid of a few pesticides but it’s not a perfect solution, especially for the Dirty Dozen. Some pesticides can get inside the produce itself and no amount of washing can tackle that!

Always wash fruits and vegetables before cutting them – whether organic or conventional. Bacteria, dirt, and rainwater can remain on the skin and contaminate the fruit or vegetable.

Your best bet? Choose organic produce as much as you can, but especially where the Dirty Dozen are concerned.

How will this information change your shopping habits?

Since I found the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 information years ago, I try to buy organic for the Dirty Dozen, such as strawberries, kale, and apples. But I no longer feel pressured to spend the extra money for cleaner produce broccoli or asparagus or avocados.

For the full list of the fruits and vegetables with more detailed information from the Environmental Working Group, visit https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php