Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This guide evaluates the quality of the produce based on testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and helps inform shoppers on what they should buy or avoid at the grocery store.
For the past 30 years, the EWG has played a pivotal role in educating consumers on pesticide consumption in the U.S., with one of its landmark achievements being its first report Pesticides in Children’s Food, which ultimately helped back the Food Quality Protection Act passed by Congress in 1996.
Even with current government limits and regulations, fresh produce that is marked legal for the market does not always mean that its levels of pesticide residue are safe for human consumption. According to the EWG, there are some pesticides used in the U.S. that have been banned in other countries due to the effects they have been shown to have on people and wildlife.
The EWG’s Shopper’s Guide includes two lists, called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. These lists are created from the 46 crops tested for pesticide contamination by the USDA and FDA.
The full list of the 46 foods tested by the USDA and FDA can be found at www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php.
According to the EWG’s data report for the 2024 Dirty Dozen, 209 pesticides were found in total, with more than 50 pesticides detected on almost every crop.
Anywhere from 13- 23 pesticides were found in at least one sample of each product.
Unfortunately, strawberries continue to be at the top of the Dirty Dozen list after several years and are number one on the 2024 list.
From the most recent years of data collection, 2015 and 2016, the EWG cites that USDA scientists tested more than 1,000 batches of non-organic strawberries and found that 99 percent of samples had at least one detectable pesticide, with 30 percent having residue of 10 or more pesticides. The most contaminated samples had 23 different pesticides and breakdown products.
In total, the USDA tests found residues of 82 different pesticides, with some of them being linked to cancer, hormone disruption, reproductive and developmental damage as well as neurological problems.
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states on its website, “there is ‘reasonable certainty of no harm’ posed by pesticide residues allowed to remain on food.”
The agency says this is due to a strict approval process and set limits on how a pesticide is used, how much and how often it is used and more designed to protect human health and the environment. Often times, people are not exposed to pesticides enough to be at risk, however there can be potential health issues or effects depending on the type of pesticide and level of exposure.
In contrast to the Dirty Dozen, the Clean Fifteen data showed that 65 percent of the samples of the produce had zero detectable pesticides, with only 10 percent containing two or more pesticides.
The first six on the list – avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya and sweet peas – had no more than three pesticides appear in any samples. As the cleanest produce on the list, avocado and sweet corn had less than two percent of samples show any detectable pesticides at all.
One common thread between many of these types of produce, including avocados, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, kiwis and honeydew melon, is a thicker skin or peel.
After they were rinsed and rid of their peels, these foods lost a lot of pesticides that may have resided on their surfaces. But, for the produce on the Clean Fifteen list without thick skin, they have to rely on another method of protection.
As Healthline notes, produce such as cabbage self-produce compounds that help deter insects, which in turn allows them to need less pesticide spraying. These compounds, called glucosinolates, are also found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables and have also been found to help reduce the risk of cancer.
It is important to consider what you might be putting in your body due to the potential risks of pesticide exposure. Whether you choose organic options or opt for rinsing your produce, there are ways to decrease your pesticide intake and ensure that your plate stays healthy for you.
Jane Dimel is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
