New 2026 Dirty Dozen List: What Produce to Always Buy Organic
/With the release of the new 2026 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 its annual guide to the produce containing the most pesticides, aka the 2026 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 conventionally grown produce they tested contained pesticide residue.
Yes, I said 75 percent! That’s a horrible statistic, and I can only hope we can improve that number.
On top of that, 95 percent of the items on the EWG Dirty Dozen list contain pesticides that can harm the body.
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.
There are no new fruits or vegetables on the 2026 Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen or Clean Fifteen list. It’s the same suspects, though in a slightly different order.
Sadly, those Dirty Dozen suspects contained 203 pesticides, so we’re getting a real buffet of chemicals. Conventionally grown spinach, for instance, was found to have seven different pesticides.
You may have heard of PFAS, those forever chemicals that don’t break down on their own and can accumulate in your body and in the water and soil? The EWG drilled down on these PFAS this year and found them in 14% of all produce samples and 90% in peaches and plums.
Sadly, over half of my beloved greens of kale, collard, and mustards were found to contain possible cancer-causing pesticides. That should be the opposite effect when reaching 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.
It does disappoint me 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 2025
This is the annual Environmental Working Group's 2026 Dirty Dozen list. Items are listed in order with the most pesticides first.
Spinach
Kale, collard, and mustard greens
Strawberries
Grapes
Nectarines
Peaches
Cherries
Apples
Blackberries
Pears
Potatoes
Blueberries
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.
About 60% of the Clean 15 had no detectable pesticides.
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 and make recipes like avocado cucumber soup or spicy avocado sauce over chicken and zoodles.
Here’s the full list of the Clean 15 for 2026.
Pineapple
Sweet Corn, Fresh and Frozen
Avocado
Papaya
Onion
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Watermelon
Mango
Banana
Carrots
Mushrooms
Kiwi
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 on 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 and 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 that would be most helpful to 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.
