Tag Archives: dirty dozen

Dirty Dozen 2023

Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen Released For 2024

by fruit, vegetables,
It’s that time of year... the Environmental Working Group has just finished compiling the date and released the new Dirty Dozen list. These are the twelve fruits and vegetables which are most likely to be highly contaminated by pesticides.  In order to avoid the toxic body burden from these pesticides it’s important to buy the Dirty Dozen produce items organically.  That’s because these pesticides are not legally allowed to be used for organic produce.
 
You do have to remember to also think all the way down the food chain.  For example, if you’re purchasing organic apples, you’ll also want to buy organic apple sauce, apple juice, dried apples, if there’s apples in your trail mix it needs to be organic, etc,  The pesticide levels do not go away or diminish when the item is processed, it’s still there.  So make sure you’re paying attention to what you’re buying from the Dirty Dozen list.
 
The Clean 15 are those fruits and vegetables which do not need to be purchased organically because they have the lowest uptake of pesticides.  It’s still recommended that you thoroughly wash all produce before consuming it, whether it’s organic or not, Dirty Dozen, or Clean Fifteen.  
 
Unfortunately strawberries continue to be at the top of the list.  That means anything strawberry needs to be organic - strawberries, strawberry jam, dried strawberries, strawberry ice cream, etc.  All of it.  And the leafy greens (kale, collards, and mustard greens) continue to hold on to spot #3.  If you’re adding dark leafy greens to your diet, and you should be, these need to be organic.  

Here’s this year’s Dirty Dozen list:

1. Strawberries⁠
2. Spinach⁠
3. Kale, collard and mustard greens⁠
4. Grapes⁠
5. Peaches⁠
6. Pears⁠
7. Nectarines⁠
8. Apples⁠
9. Bell and hot peppers⁠
10. Cherries⁠
11. Blueberries⁠
12. Green beans⁠

In a surprising twist, green beans have made it onto the list. Unfortunately, strawberries remain in the number one spot. That means anything strawberry....

EWG’s Clean Fifteen

1. Avocados⁠
2. Sweet corn (fresh and frozen)⁠
3. Pineapple⁠
4. Onions⁠
5. Papaya⁠
6. Sweet peas (frozen)⁠
7. Asparagus⁠
8. Honeydew melon⁠
9. Kiwi⁠
10. Cabbage⁠
11. Watermelon⁠
12. Mushrooms⁠
13. Mango⁠
14. Sweet potatoes⁠
15. Carrots⁠

Using this information from the EWG I’ve created this small printables that you can cut out and put in your wallet to help you remember.
dirty dozen 2024
Clean 15 2024

Previous Years

For those who are interested here’s a list of what’s been on the Dirty Dozen over the years. It’s astonishing to me, and more than a little heartbreaking, that we continue to have certain foods that are so excessively treated with pesticides.  Many of these are foods that fed to children for whom the pesticide body burden is even worse due to their smaller size and higher consumption.  Regardless of your size, we need to avoid pesticides in our diet.  Print out and take your handout with you and stay on top of which products you MUST buy organic so you can eat well to be well.

2023: strawberries, spinach, kale, collard and mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, green beans

2022: strawberries, spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell and hot peppers, cherries, peaches, pears, celery, tomatoes

2021:  strawberries, spinach, kale-collards-mustard greens, nectarines, apples, grapes, cherries, peaches, pears, bell and hot peppers, celery, tomatoes
 
2020: strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes
 
2019: strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes
 
2018: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, sweet bell peppers
 
2017: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes
 
2016: strawberries, apples, nectarines, peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers
 

EWG’s 2021 Dirty Dozen List

by fruit, vegetables, , ,
The new Dirty Dozen for 2021 is out.  It usually takes a few months to come up with the new list because the Environmental Working Group (EWG) needs to coordinate all the data from the previous year. These are the items that you MUST purchase organic at the grocery store in order to avoid pesticide residues and agricultural exposures.

Strawberries Top Dirty Dozen List Again

Sadly strawberries are once again at the top of the list.  And the green category has expanded with both collards and mustard greens joining kale in the #3 spot. If you’re a big dark leafy greens eater (and you should be) it’s definitely important to make sure you’re getting the organic version of these.  In a new addition to the list the EWG has added both bell peppers and hot peppers. 
 
It’s important to remember that with anything on this list you must think about all iterations of that fruit or vegetable. For example grapes. If you’re buying organic grapes you’re also going to want to buy organic grape juice, organic raisins, and, yes, organic wine.  Just because a particular produce item is processed in some way does not magically make the pesticides go away.
 
While citrus fruit did not make the Dirty Dozen list it’s worth noting that the EWG issued a special report because they are trending upwards in pesticide residue levels. 
 
One other important note, when purchasing organic for these Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables you are not only avoiding the pesticide residue, you may be getting a healthier version. There are studies which seem to indicate that organic produce has higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols which in turn is beneficial for the immune system.  Plus organic farming tends to be more sustainable for the soil that the produce is grown in.
 
It’s hard to remember which 12 are on the list. The easy way to stay on top of it is to download the free guide from the Environmental Working Group.