Some fruits and vegetables are susceptible to pesticide and chemical residues, so it is especially important to wash them thoroughly before eating.
Washing all vegetables before eating is an easy way to remove dirt, bacteria, and residual pesticides.
Spring is a great time to refresh your space and habits. While you’re cleaning out your cabinets and scrubbing your baseboards, don’t forget to keep an eye on your produce drawer. Whether you shop in the organic section of your grocery store, at your local farmers market, or order fresh produce for delivery, the most important rule still applies: wash your fruits and vegetables.
While most foods on grocery store shelves are safe to eat, they may still contain traces of pesticides, dirt, and bacteria. The good news is, you don’t have to panic. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program (PDF), more than 99 percent of foods tested meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety standards, and more than a quarter have no detectable pesticide residues at all.
However, as part of your spring recovery, getting into the habit of rinsing all produce before eating is a smart move for both your health and your peace of mind.
To be clear, some chemicals and pesticides are completely safe to leave behind. And not all chemicals are harmful, so don’t panic the next time you forget to wash your fruits and vegetables. You’ll be fine, and the chances of getting sick are very low. That said, there are other issues to worry about, such as bacterial hazards and blemishes like salmonella, listeria, E. coli, and germs from other people’s hands.
Some types of produce are more likely to contain persistent pesticide residues than others. To help consumers identify which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticide residues, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit food safety organization, has published a list called the “Dirty Dozen.” The group examined 47,510 samples of 46 types of fruits and vegetables tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, identifying those that had the highest levels of pesticide residues at the time of sale.
But which fruit, according to the latest Dirty Dozen study, has the most pesticide residues? Strawberries. It’s hard to believe, but the total amount of chemicals found in this popular berry was higher than in any other fruit or vegetable analyzed.
Below you’ll find the 12 foods most likely to contain pesticides and the 15 foods least likely to be contaminated.
The Dirty Dozen is a great indicator to remind consumers which fruits and vegetables require the most thorough washing. Even a quick rinse with water or a spray of detergent can help.
You can also avoid many potential risks by purchasing certified organic fruits and vegetables, which are free of any agricultural pesticides. Knowing which foods are more likely to contain pesticides can help you decide to spend a little more on organic produce. As I learned when I analyzed the prices of organic and non-organic produce, they are not as high as you might think.
Products with natural protective coatings are less likely to contain potentially harmful pesticides.
The Clean 15 had the lowest levels of pesticide contamination of all the samples tested, but that doesn’t mean they were completely free of pesticide contamination. Of course, that doesn’t mean the fruits and vegetables you bring home are free of bacterial contamination. Statistically, it’s safer to eat unwashed produce from the Clean 15 than from the Dirty Dozen, but it’s still a good rule of thumb to wash all fruits and vegetables before eating.
EWG’s methodology includes six indicators of pesticide contamination. The analysis focused on which fruits and vegetables were most likely to contain one or more pesticides, but did not measure the levels of any one pesticide in specific products. You can read more about the Dirty Dozen in EWG’s published research report here.
Of the test samples analyzed, the Environmental Working Group found that 95 percent of the “Dirty Dozen” fruit and vegetable samples were coated with potentially harmful fungicides. On the other hand, nearly 65 percent of the “Clean Fifteen” fruit and vegetable samples were free of fungicides.
The Environmental Working Group found a variety of pesticides when analyzing test samples and found that four of the five most common pesticides were potentially hazardous fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil.
Post time: Apr-22-2025