Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out a list of produce which the most pesticide residue and the least; the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. They base the list on testing done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on conventionally grown produce ( ie. not ‘organically’ grown).

According to the EWG, “Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare on Clean Fifteen vegetables. Only 5 percent of Clean Fifteen vegetable samples had two or more pesticides.”

But on the Dirty Dozen: “Each of these foods tested positive for a number of different pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce.”

The EWG recommends buying organic when you can if you want produce from the Dirty Dozen list, and choosing produce from the Clean Fifteen.
READ MORE here.

For more on pesticides and GMOs, CLICK HERE.

Here’s the list in order of most pesticide to least on the Dirty Dozen and least pesticide to most on the Clean Fifteen.

The Dirty Dozen

1) Strawberries

A single sample of strawberries showed 20 different pesticides.

2) Spinach

Spinach samples had, on average, 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.

3) Nectarines

4) Apples

5) Grapes

6) Peaches

Baby peaches that still have a whole summer to grow.

7) Cherries

8) Pears

9) Tomatoes

10) Celery

11) Potatoes

12) Sweet Bell Peppers

Clean 15

1) Avocados

2) Sweet Corn

3) Pineapples

A pineapple that is not quite ready to be picked.

4) Cabbages

5) Onions

6) Sweet Peas

7) Papayas

8) Asparagus

9) Mangoes

10) Eggplants

11) Honeydews

12) Kiwis

13) Cantaloupes

14 and 15) Cauliflower and Broccoli