Which fruit or vegetable contains the most pesticide?

Fruits and vegetables that are considered to be among the most healthy food options have also once again made a less prestigious list: Strawberries and spinach top the “Dirty Dozen” for containing the most pesticides, according to the 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

According to the 2024 Dirty Dozen list for nonorganic, conventionally grown produce, those “most contaminated with pesticides” include:

1. Strawberries.
2. Spinach.
3. Kale, collard and mustard greens.
4. Grapes.
5. Peaches.
6. Pears.
7. Nectarines.
8. Apples.
9. Bell and hot peppers.
10. Cherries.
11. Blueberries.
12. Green beans.

The list, released Wednesday, has been curated by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental and public health advocacy organization. The group has produced the list, which it bases on its analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration data, for the past 20 years. It considers 46 different fruits and vegetables when making the list of produce with the most pesticide residue and a companion list of produce that’s least contaminated.

“The USDA peels or scrubs and washes produce samples before they’re tested, whereas the FDA removes only dirt first. Even after these steps, the agencies’ tests still found traces of 254 pesticides in all fruits and vegetables analyzed — and 209 of these were on Dirty Dozen produce,” the organization said in a news release.

The Agriculture Department posts the results of its monitoring work online. The department said its Pesticide Data Program “produces the most comprehensive pesticide residue database in the U.S.” It adds that the monitoring emphasizes “those commodities highly consumed by infants and children.”

The working group reported that 95% of the samples of the fruits and vegetables on that list contained pesticides. But the report notes that “the Shoppers Guide does not incorporate risk assessment into the calculations. All pesticides are weighted equally and we do not factor in the levels deemed acceptable by the EPA.”

As CNN reported, “Pesticides have been linked in studies to preterm births, congenital malformations such as neural tube defects, spontaneous abortions and an increase in genetic damage in humans. Exposure to pesticides has also been associated with lower sperm concentrations, heart disease, cancer and other disorders.”

In a news release on the 2024 report, the Environmental Working Group said “nonorganic produce is loaded with fungicides that may harm human hormone systems.” And it noted that four of the five most-often detected chemicals fall into that category, including fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil.

The release quoted the group’s senior toxicologist, Alexis Tempkin: “Emerging evidence suggests many widely used fungicides may disrupt human hormone systems. But more studies are needed to better understand the risks they — and all pesticides — pose to humans, particularly children.”

The ‘Clean 15′

The group also publishes a “Clean 15″ list of produce that has little in the way of trace chemicals, noting that two-thirds of those on the list have no evidence of pesticide residue. The “Clean 15″ are:

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. Watermelon.
12. Mushrooms.
13. Mangoes.
14. Sweet potatoes.
15. Carrots.

The group notes some, though certainly not all, of the sweet corn, papaya and summer squash available in the U.S. is produced from genetically modified seeds. “Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce,” the organization said.

A number of other fruits and vegetables were tested but didn’t make either list, including tomatoes, winter squash, cherry tomatoes, celery, lettuce, tangerines, cucumbers, summer squash, broccoli, potatoes, plums, eggplant, raspberries, grapefruit, fresh snap peas, oranges, cantaloupe, bananas and cauliflower.

Farmer group challenges report

In an email to Deseret News from the Alliance for Food and Farming on Wednesday, the group scoffed at the notion that organic crops should be substituted for non-organic to provide less pesticide risk for consumers. “This is because residues, if present at all, on non-organic produce are so very low,” wrote executive director Teresa Thorne.

She said that an Agriculture Department analysis showed more than 99% of the foods sampled “had residues well below the safety standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency.” More than a quarter had no detectable pesticide.

“Based on the (Pesticide Data Program) data, consumers can feel confident about eating a diet that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables,” she quoted the department.

Thorne’s group is worried that concerns about fruit and vegetable safety could negatively impact consumers. “Peer reviewed research published in Nutrition Today found that when low income consumers were exposed to the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list, they stated they were less likely to purchase any produce — organic or conventionally grown,” Thorne said.

The CDC reports that only 1 in 10 Americans consume enough fruits and vegetables each day, and those living in poverty are the least likely to eat the recommended amount of vegetables.

Adds the CDC, “Continued efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by improving access and affordability in diverse community and institutional settings will help mitigate health disparities among U.S. residents. Additional policies and programs that will increase access to fruits and vegetables in places where U.S. residents live, learn, work and play might increase consumption and improve health.”

Produce safety tips

Regardless, experts say eating fruits and vegetables is vital to good health. But so is washing them.

Chemicals are not the only food safety concern when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also points out that produce can contain germs that may make people sick, including salmonella, E. coli and listeria. The CDC says the safest produce is cooked, but next best is making sure that you wash any fruit or vegetable before eating it. “Wash fruits and vegetables under running water, even if you do not plan to eat the peel,” its food safety page said.

The CDC also warns consumers about produce that isn’t bruised or damaged. Make sure that precut fruits and vegetables are in a refrigerator section or kept on ice. And keep all produce away from raw meat, poultry and seafood in your shopping cart.

And before you wash them when you get them home, wash your hands.