These fruits and veggies are loaded with the most pesticides, according to the 2022 “Dirty Dozen” list
See which fruits and veggies ranked the worst (and which ones were the cleanest)
Earlier this year, I was standing in the produce section of the local grocery store debating.
Should I buy organic or regular celery? I thought.
The organic was a few bucks more. Since the regular celery didn’t have mold or signs of critters — I grabbed it instead. If you’ve ever had this mental debate about whether to go organic or conventional — this will be one of the most important guides to follow.
It will make it an easy choice as to which fruits/vegetables are worth going organic vs. which will be okay conventional.
Here’s the story:
Each year fruits/vegetables are tested by US Department of Agriculture for the concentration of pesticides in them. For instance, last year they found 119 pesticides in conventional bell peppers. In 2020, over 95% of tangerines tested contained Imazalil which is a fungicide and suspected carcinogen.
This data is assembled and published by The Environmental Working Group as a list known as “The Dirty Dozen.” These are the fruits and vegetables containing the highest levels of pesticides — and each year this list changes.
The 2022 “Dirty Dozen”:
#1: Strawberries
#2: Spinach
#3: Kale, collard greens, mustard greens
#4: Nectarines
#5: Apples
#6: Grapes
#7: Bell peppers (and hot peppers)
#8: Cherries
#9: Peaches
#10: Pears
#11: Celery
#12: Tomatoes
How to use this list?
The answer is not to dump all your spinach in the garbage and never buy it again. Like I alluded to earlier, this list is a helpful guide for deciding on whether to go organic or conventional.
For instance, strawberries were reported the highest for pesticide load. That means if you buy a case of strawberries, to avoid the pesticides it’s probably better to buy organic. Same with peaches (or any of the dirty dozen).
If you want to find a cheaper way to buy organic, look for frozen versions. For instance, if organic strawberries are going to cost and arm and a foot — look for frozen organic strawberries. Frozen fruits/vegetables hold their nutritional value extremely well. Because as soon as they are frozen their nutrient content is somewhat ‘locked in’. In some cases, they can even have more nutrients than fresh produce that’s been sitting for weeks on the shelves — slowly losing its value each day.
Does this mean you should avoid the dirty dozen foods?
Not at all. But it should provide extra motivation to warsh your fruits and vegetables — and possibly go organic (or even grow your own). It’s estimated that 1/10 Americans get enough fruits/vegetables per day. So don’t let it stop you from getting your kale, spinach and celery but allow it to help you make better decisions when buying them.
Along with the ‘dirty dozen’, another list that’s assembled is called ‘The Clean 15’ containing some of the lowest pesticide fruits/vegetables.
The 2022 “Clean 15”:
#1: Avocados
#2: Sweet corn
#3: Pineapple
#4: Onions
#5: Papaya
#6: Sweet peas (frozen)
#7: Asparagus
#8: Honeydew melon
#9: Kiwi
#10: Cabbage
#11: Mushrooms
#12: Cantaloupe
#13: Mangoes
#14: Watermelon
#15: Sweet potatoes
Chances are the foods on this list are safer to buy conventional. So if you are deciding to buy a bundle of conventional asparagus or organic, conventional may be fine. I will point out, just because these are on the ‘clean 15’ doesn’t mean you need to try to incorporate them all into your nutrition (except perhaps avocado, asparagus, cabbage, sweet potatoes and mushrooms — but that’s a topic for another day).
However, let these lists be your guide the next time you are in the produce section. Let them make your shopping easier without the paralysis by analysis.
Now there are some criticisms of the “Dirty Dozen”:
#1: Below dose levels
The argument is the pesticide level is below a dose level that will cause a response in the body. Their argument is that even water and oxygen is toxic at some level. But if you are below the dose level than it’s no longer harmful.
Here’s my personal opinion:
The body handles all sorts of bacteria, viruses, pathogens, chemicals and toxins on a regular basis — just because it can, does it mean we should expose it to more?
And just because someone’s body can handle the pesticide load they are consuming now, what happens when their body has to fight off a disease or some other ailment(s) at the same time? What happens when there is a battle on multiple-fronts? My personal belief is those little things add up.
Note: there’s an added benefit with organic. When you eat organic fruits and vegetables you are not only diminishing your pesticide consumption but you are also getting far more health-boosting, polyphenols (plant micronutrients) than conventional.
#2: Scares consumers from eating fruits and vegetables
I’m sure the dirty dozen scares people off (especially those who don’t like vegetables to begin with). It’s important to keep this information in perspective. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share potentially scary information like this (Knowing 95% of tangerines were contaminated with a carcinogen is kind of nice to know). Let it help keep things in perspective and allow you to be a little more informed.
Years ago, I watched a nutrition webinar about all the different toxins and chemicals in our shampoo… detergents… cleaning products… and other household products. I left that webinar feeling overwhelmed that everything around me was harmful. It made me consider throwing out certain products. Luckily I snapped out of it and realized this is a rabbit hole. Instead of focusing on the hundreds of things to fear, I was going to focus on the 1–2 things I could improve.
Take this list and allow it to be your guide for gradual improvements.
Not for living in fear.
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