It’s possible to find pesticide residue on a wide variety of conventionally grown produce items. Spinach, kale, grapes, peaches, and non-organic strawberries all have traces of pesticide, according to a new study. These fruits and vegetables, in addition to others, have made the “Dirty Dozen” list from the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2025 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.
The EWG is a health advocacy organization that annually produces this report, and has done so for more than two decades. It analyzes government food safety data, comparing samples of non-organic (conventionally grown) produce items. This year, 96% of the samples of the 12 non-organic fruits and vegetables contained detectable levels of 203 different types of pesticides. Each sample of all of these “Dirty Dozen” produce items, except cherries, contained more than 50 different pesticides.
2025 “Dirty Dozen” List
The 2025 guide assessed fruits and vegetables based on four criteria:
- Average number of different pesticides on a single sample
- Percentage of samples with at least one pesticide
- Average total concentration of pesticides found on a single sample
- Overall toxicity of pesticides on a crop
This year, black berries and potatoes joined the list, while tomatoes and winter squash fell off the list from last year. The EWG’s 2025 “Dirty Dozen” produces items (ranked from highest to lowest amount of pesticides) is as follows:
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Kale, collards, and mustard greens
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Nectarines
- Pears
- Apples
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Potatoes
On the basis of pesticide concentration and toxicity, these produce items topped the list:
- Green beans
- Spinach
- Bell and hot peppers
- Kale, collard, and mustard greens
2025 “Clean Fifteen” List
In addition to the “Dirty Dozen” list, the EWG puts together a list of nonorganic produce items that have little or no pesticides detected in lab tests. The “Clean Fifteen” foods are ranked from highest to lowest:
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn
- Avocados
- Papaya
- Onions
- Frozen sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Cabbage
- Watermelon
- Cauliflower
- Bananas
- Mangos
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Kiwi
Sweet potatoes dropped off the list this year, while cauliflower and bananas are new to the list.
Continue To Eat Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain beneficial vitamins, minerals, and compounds that benefit your overall health. The EWG encourages people to focus on enjoying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, even if they are non-organic. Decades of nutrition studies that verify the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Consuming a variety of produce items can improve physical and mental health, prevent certain diseases, and increase longevity.
Most of the studies confirming these proven benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables did not specifically focus on organic or non-organic growing methods. The focus was purely on conventionally grown produce and the consumption of it. If you want to minimize the risk of pesticide residue on your produce, though, the National Pesticide Information Center encourages the following:
- Thoroughly wash all produce, even organic produce, including the ones you are going to peel.
- Scrub firm fruits and vegetables like melons and potatoes. There are fruit and vegetable brushes made for cleaning these produce items.
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to minimize the risk of increased exposure to a single pesticide.
- Wash produce items under running water instead of soaking or dunking them.
- Dry produce items with a clean cloth or paper towels.
- Remove and discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
- Peel fruits and vegetables when you can.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
