The Dirty Dozen

If you have never heard of the “Dirty Dozen,” or the “Clean Fifteen”, these are lists of the foods that research has shown have the most pesticide residues and the foods with the least pesticide residues.

These lists are put out annually by the EWG (Environmental Working Group). This is a non-profit organization in the U.S. whose sole focus is to empower people to live healthier lives. They conduct research and publish reports on a variety of topics from food safety and agricultural practices to chemical exposure and clean water.

What is so great about the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen is that many of us don’t want to or cannot afford to buy everything organic. These lists tell you which foods you should always buy organic to limit your pesticide exposure and which foods are pretty safe to buy conventional (meaning non-organic).

These lists are a great place to start to try to reduce your exposure to pesticides. There is a significant amount of research that shows these pesticides are very likely carcinogens (meaning cancer causing).

The 12 items on the “Dirty Dozen” are helpful when deciding what items to buy organic. For example, because berries (strawberries in particular) consistently make the list, I never buy berries that are not organic. Berries are a great fruit and very good for us. They have a low glycemic load and index – meaning they don’t cause our blood sugar to skyrocket, but they also provide a lot of fiber and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals – all good stuff.

It's probably not a big deal if you have some conventional berries or fruits or vegetables at a restaurant but if you are buying them regularly at home and consuming a lot of them like my family does, then it is best to get organic on these items. For 2023, the Dirty Dozen list is:

1.      Strawberries

2.      Spinach

3.      Kale, Collard Greens & Mustard Greens

4.      Peaches

5.      Pears

6.      Nectarines

7.      Apples

8.      Grapes

9.      Peppers (Bell and Hot Peppers)

10.  Cherries

11.  Blueberries

12.  Green Beans

For those who want to go beyond the dirty dozen but maybe still not buy it all organic, the Clean Fifteen can tell you the foods with the lowest found pesticide residue and those are:

1.      Avocados

2.      Sweet Corn    

3.      Pineapple

4.      Onions

5.      Papaya

6.      Frozen Sweet Peas

7.      Asparagus

8.      Honeydew melon

9.      Kiwi

10.  Cabbage

11.  Mushrooms

12.  Mangoes

13.  Sweet Potatoes

14.  Watermelon

15.  Carrots

Keep in mind that this covers pesticide residues and not genetically modified seeds. The EWG states that there is a small amount of corn, papaya and summer squash in the U.S. that is produced from genetically modified seeds, therefore, to avoid genetically modified food, it is best to buy organic in those as well.

Now that you are aware, use these lists to help guide your shopping and take another step toward reducing your risk for disease and improving your health!