The Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen 2025—Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Hidden Chemicals: 12 Contaminated Foods—15 You Can Trust
You shouldn’t need a PhD to buy apples. Today, I bring you a calm, practical plan to shop smart—without fear.
Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) produces the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which includes the Dirty Dozen™ and Clean Fifteen™.
What Changed This Year (Big Update!)
This year is a major shift: EWG’s ranking incorporates pesticide toxicity into its rankings of produce, alongside the presence, amount, and frequency of pesticide residues.
What does that mean? 🤔
This means even if a food has fewer pesticides overall, it could still make the "Dirty Dozen" if those pesticides are particularly hazardous.
In plain English: it’s not only the number of footprints on the floor, it’s whether any of those footprints belong to a heavy boot.
A Quick Aisle-Side Example
Imagine two clamshells of blueberries:
Box A has traces of five low-hazard pesticides.
Box B has one pesticide with higher toxicity to the nervous system—even if it’s a smaller amount.
Under the 2025 method, Box B can score “worse” than Box A because toxicity now counts. That’s why some foods moved lists this year, even when their total residue amounts weren’t sky-high.
The Lab Results: 3 in 4 Samples Had Residues
Utilizing over 53,000 USDA tests, the results showed more than 75% of conventionally grown fruit and vegetables contained pesticide residues.
The items listed on the “Dirty Dozen” list specifically had the highest levels of pesticide toxicity (combinations of many types of toxic pesticides). For example:
Over 90% of blackberry samples contained four different pesticides on average.
Nearly 90% of potatoes were identified to have the residues of chlorpropham, a pesticide banned in the European Union.
Conversely, nearly 60% of the “Clean Fifteen” had no detectable pesticide residues.
But First: Are Pesticides in My Food a Problem for My Health?
This is a question I get asked often, and it’s a good one.
In brief: the vast majority of the time, the levels of pesticide residues we find in our food, if any, are well below levels we are concerned about, as set by federal authorities.
In detailed terms, we should clarify some things.
First, we need to clear up the system for you. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets levels of pesticide products called "tolerances," or Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for every type of pesticide allowed on food. Then, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests the food supply for these tolerances. The tolerances are purposely set with a very large safety factor to protect the most susceptible people (e.g. infants, children and pregnant women).
There is a growing body of research assessing the potential long-term consequences of chronic, low-level exposure to pesticide residues. Many of these studies are observational, and investigating possible associations between long-term dietary exposure and health effects include:
Neurodevelopment: In some of the studies out there are associations between a maternal exposure to some pesticide while pregnant, and some neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring.
Endocrine disruption: Certain pesticides are called endocrine disruptors, because of their invitation to interfere with our body's own signal system, which can affect our metabolism, fertility, and ability to grow.
Chronic disease: The evidence is inconclusive but some studies support the link between pesticide exposure and higher than expected risks of chronic disease such as cancers and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's.
It is worth emphasizing that correlation is not causation and these are active areas of scientific research.
All major health and nutrition organizations agree that the benefits of adhering to a diet higher in fruits and vegetables (organic or conventional) vastly outweigh the risks associated with pesticide residues.
Your Calm, Practical Plan
Going organic isn’t a moral badge. Your choice should fit your health, your budget, and your values. Here’s how to get the benefits of produce while limiting your exposure.
1. Lower Pesticide Exposure
If you want to reduce your dietary exposure to the synthetic pesticide residues, choosing organic produce is the most straightforward way to do that.
Organic farming uses different methods and a separate list of (mostly natural) approved pesticides. Organic produce can also have residues (from drift, soil or an approved natural pesticide) but these will be at lower levels than conventional options.
2. Keep Perspective—Risk vs. Reality
This is where the EWG's lists become an incredibly useful, practical resource.
If you focus on the “Dirty Dozen” as your produce items to purchase organic, that will directly decrease all limitations to the produce that has the most actual likelihood of high and multiple types of residues.
On the “Clean Fifteen”, the risks are already so low that the conventional version is likely safe enough to consume.
3. Wash Like a Pro
The easiest way to wash produce is also the best way. You will find in the grocery store various "produce washes." However, health authorities, including the CDC and FDA, agree that, all you need is water and some friction. Barring soaps and other cleansers, are absorbed by food and are not safe to eat.
To wash produce like a pro, hold product under running water and rubbed it with your hands to remove dirt found on its surface. For firm products, such as potatoes and melons, a gentle scrub with a brush can work well.
You can get fancy, especially for firm-skinned produce, using a baking-soda soak. A 2017 study from the University of Massachusetts tested this option and considered it effective at removing select pesticide residues from apples. When using this method, add about 1 teaspoon of baking to 2 cups of water, soak for about 12 minutes, and rinse. Peeling will remove the most residues, but it also means losing some of the most nutrient dense portions of the plant.
4. Make It Budget-Friendly
Prioritize “Dirty Dozen” organic, choose “Clean Fifteen” conventional, buy frozen if fresh is not available, and wash well.
You can also rotate produce week to week to diversify exposure and nutrients. For example:
Week A: spinach*, berries*, bananas, cabbage, mushrooms, peas, mango
Week B: apples*, berries*, avocados, cauliflower, corn, onions, watermelon
*Buy these organic if they’re your frequent flyers.
5. The Big Picture: Eat the Rainbow You Can Afford
The most important message is do not sacrifice making dietary lifestyle choices that are nutrition-rich for fear of pesticides. The benefits of eating different foods that are fruits and vegetables are well established and accepted.
Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and great fiber contents, and on top of that, it all helps protect you against heart disease, cancers, and chronic diseases.
If the costs of organic are high or not available, a conventional diet with many fruits and vegetables is far, far better than a diet that does not include those foods.
🚨 The Dirty Dozen™: Most Pesticide-Contaminated Produce
These 12 items are known to have the most pesticide residue.
Whenever there is an organic option available, choose it, but when buying absolutely organic produce isn't an option, wash these fruits and vegetables to reduce pesticide residues.
Potatoes
Blueberries
Blackberries
Apples
Pears
Nectarines
Cherries
Peaches
Grapes
Kale, collard and mustard greens
Strawberries
Spinach (spinach has more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce!)
🌟 The Clean Fifteen™: Lowest Pesticide Levels
These fruits and vegetables tend to have minimal pesticide residue, even when not organic:
Pineapples
Sweet corn, fresh and frozen
Avocados
Papaya
Onion
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Cabbage
Watermelon
Cauliflower
Bananas
Mangoes
Carrots
Mushrooms
Kiwi
Grocery Scenarios (Real Life > Perfection)
Feeding a family on a budget: Buy conventional from the “Clean Fifteen”, snag frozen organic for 1–2 “Dirty Dozen” favorites (spinach + berries), and wash everything well.
Berry-obsessed household: Rotate berries (blueberries this week, strawberries next) and lean on frozen; if fresh strawberries are a weekly staple, choose organic when it fits.
Potato lovers: If organic isn’t available, scrub and peel before roasting; consider swapping in sweet corn, cabbage, or cauliflower more often.
To your zenith within,
Sara Redondo, MD
P.S. If your health and the health of your loved ones is a priority, you’ll want to read these posts:
P.S.2 You can join my 10-Day Science-Based Nutrition Course to Transform Your Health here and now.
Such great info, Sara! Glad to be reminded that eating fruits and veggies is more beneficial than having none, whether they are organic or not.
Thanks for sharing this. In a future article, could you discuss how long pesticides remain in the body and suggest options for safely detoxing from decades of residue? Thank you!