Dirty Dozen 2024: Fruits and Vegetables with the Highest Pesticide Residues

The Environmental Working Group's Annual Report

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that monitors agricultural toxins, has released its annual Dirty Dozen list for 2024. This list identifies the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide residues, based on an analysis of government data.

Key Findings

For 2024, the EWG researchers examined testing data on 47,510 samples of 46 non-organic fruits and vegetables. The majority of the samples were tested by the US Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Data Program. The EWG's analysis found that:

• The 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues are strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, and potatoes.
• Strawberries had the highest average pesticide residue level of all the fruits and vegetables tested. One sample of strawberries contained 22 different pesticides.
• Spinach had the highest average pesticide residue level of all the leafy greens tested. One sample of spinach contained 18 different pesticides.

These findings highlight the importance of choosing organic produce whenever possible. Organic produce is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, which can be harmful to human health and the environment.