Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Once again, strawberries top the list of the 12 “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental organization — ranked pesticide contamination in 47 popular fruits and vegetables for its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

Spinach is the second dirtiest item on the “Dirty Dozen” list, followed by (in order of contamination) nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell peppers.

Each of these foods tested positive for pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce.

On a positive note, the Environmental Working Group also creates a lesser-known companion to the Dirty Dozen:

the “Clean 15” guide to produce containing the least amount of pesticides. Avocados lead 2018’s clean fruits and veggies list, followed by sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew melon, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower and broccoli.