New 2024 Dirty Dozen List: What Produce to Always Buy Organic
/With the release of the new 2024 EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list, you can make informed choices on what produce to consider buying organic and which you might want to skip.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has just released their annual guide to the produce containing the most pesticides, aka the Dirty Dozen List.
It’s always disappointing to learn how our seemingly nutritious fruits and vegetables can be covered in toxins.
EWG reports that 75 percent of the conventional produce they tested contained pesticide residue.
75 percent! That’s a horrible statistic that I can only hope that we improve soon.
On top of that, 95 percent of the items on the EWG Dirty Dozen list contain pesticides that can do the body harm.
Why should we care about these pesticides?
There have been studies linking pesticides with heart disease, lower sperm count in men, preterm birth, cancers, and other health issues.
You’ll see most of the same suspects on the Dirty Dozen list this year as compared to last.
Sadly, my beloved greens of kale, collard, and mustard greens were found to have the biggest variety of pesticides at a whopping 103. 103 different pesticides is just insane and about 103 more than I want to be eating when I reach for a healthy vegetable.
This doesn’t mean you should never eat kale again.
What it might mean is that when you do buy kale, you save up, and buy organic kale. And then you try one of my healthy kale recipes.
Bell and hot peppers made their debut on the dirty dozen list three years ago after not being tested for the last 10 years.
And guess what?
Over 100 different pesticides were found on these peppers.
So if you’re feeling like adding some spice to a dish, grab some organic peppers in the future.
It does make me sad that we still have so many pesticides in our produce, but armed with the Dirty Dozen list, it’s good to be educated on what produce to always buy organic.
If you see one of your go-to fruits or vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list, you may want to consider saving up to purchase organic.
EWG Dirty Dozen List 2024
This is the annual Environmental Working Group's 2024 Dirty Dozen list. Items are listed in order with the most pesticides first.
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, collard, and mustard greens
Grapes
Peaches
Pears
Nectarines
Apples
Bell and hot peppers
Cherries
Blueberries
Green beans
EWG Clean 15 List
The EWG isn’t all gloom and doom. They also release a Clean 15 list. This is the list that features produce at the other end of the spectrum from the Dirty Dozen.
These are the items with the lowest levels of pesticide residues. You don’t have to be as concerned to buy organic for these items.
I'm always happy to see avocados at the top of the Clean 15 list.
Less than 2 percent of the avocados and sweet corn tested showed any pesticides.
Avocados are expensive enough, so I usually buy conventional ones. Phew, my beloved avo is safe.
As for the rest of the items on the Clean 15 list, none of the samples were found to have more than three pesticides. Compare that to 13 to 23 different pesticides found on each item on the Dirty Dozen list.
Here’s the full list of the Clean 15 for 2024.
Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Cabbage
Watermelon
Mushrooms
Mangoes
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Other Ways to Remove Pesticides From Produce
Another good way to cut down on pesticides in your produce is by making sure to thoroughly clean them before eating.
I will warn you though that simply doing this will not remove all of the toxins since some are inside the produce, so it's still important to buy organic whenever possible, or at least when buying items off the Dirty Dozen list.
And just so you know, the USDA does wash, peel, and scrub all the produce they test for the Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen list.
You can see my video above on how I clean my produce and check out this post too for all of the details on how to properly clean your fruits and vegetables before eating them.
It's good to be educated on our food system and where hidden toxins may lurk.
While it may seem difficult, not to mention expensive, to buy all organic, with the EWG's Dirty Dozen list, you can focus on the 12 produce items you should always buy organic. Then you can let yourself off the organic hook when you purchase fruits and vegetables from the Clean 15 List.
No matter what you buy, it's always a good idea to clean your produce before consuming it.
If you're looking for more ways to keep your home toxin-free, check out my post on the most eco-friendly kitchen products. I also can help you put a Clean Eating pantry together with my recommended staples.
