Here’s Your Guide to Smarter Produce Shopping

Let’s talk about the annual Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists that have become essential shopping guides for health-conscious consumers like us. As we navigate the complex world of food shopping in 2025, understanding these lists can help you prioritize where to spend your organic food dollars without breaking the bank.

What Are the Dirty Dozen & Clean 15?

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) ranks conventional produce based on pesticide contamination levels. The Dirty Dozen highlights fruits and vegetables with the highest detected pesticide residues, while the Clean 15 showcases those with the lowest.

I love how straightforward this concept is – it’s not about scaring you away from produce, but rather empowering you with knowledge about what you’re bringing home to your family.

Why Are These Lists Updated Annually?

You might wonder, “Can’t they just stick with one list?” Well, several factors make these yearly updates necessary:

• Changing Agricultural Practices: Farming methods and pesticide use patterns evolve constantly
• New Research Findings: Scientific understanding of pesticide impacts continues to advance
• Shifting Market Conditions: Different growing regions and weather patterns affect pesticide applications
• Regulatory Changes: Updates to pesticide regulations influence agricultural practices

I find it reassuring that these lists are regularly updated based on fresh testing. It means we’re getting current information rather than outdated advice – especially important when it comes to something as fundamental as the food we eat every day.

Using the Lists Without Breaking the Bank

Here’s the good news – you absolutely don’t need to buy everything organic to make healthier choices. Who has that kind of budget anyway? Not me!

Here’s how to use these lists strategically:

1. Prioritize Organic for Dirty Dozen Items: Focus your organic purchases on these high-pesticide items
2. Save on Clean 15: Feel confident buying conventional versions of these low-pesticide items
3. Consider Your Consumption Patterns: Prioritize organic for the items your family eats most frequently
4. Look Beyond Organic Labels: Chat with vendors at your local farmers’ market – many smaller farms use minimal pesticides but can’t afford the organic certification process
5. Proper Washing Techniques: While washing won’t remove all pesticides, a good rinse under running water still helps reduce surface residues!

The Dirty Dozen

Buy these organic whenever possible (updated 2024):

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​

*95% of samples from these items contained pesticide residues, with some samples showing up to 23 different pesticides.

The Clean Fifteen

These are ok to buy conventionally grown (updated 2024):

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​

* Per the EWG, a small amount of sweet corn, papaya, and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce. (Approximately 65% of samples from these items had no detectable pesticide residues.)

Tested for, but not on either list

These 19 items were included in the fruit and vegetable testing data from the USDA and FDA but do not fall into either the Dirty Dozen or Clean Fifteen lists.

13. Tomatoes
14. Winter squash
15. Celery
16. Potatoes
17. Cherry Tomatoes
18. Lettuce
19. Tangerines
20. Cucumbers
21. Broccoli
22. Summer squash*
23. Plums
24. Eggplant
25. Raspberries
26. Grapefruit
27. Snap Peas
28. Oranges
29. Cantaloupe
30. Bananas
31. Cauliflower

Dirty Dozen Overall Findings

Non-organic produce is loaded with fungicides that may harm human hormone systems – four of the five most frequently detected chemicals are fungicides fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil.

• More than 90% of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines and grapes tested positive for tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides
• A total of 209 pesticides were found on Dirty Dozen items
• The Dirty Dozen produce has 13-23 different pesticides
• Over 100 pesticides were fount in these crops: kale, collard, and mustard greens, as well as hot peppers and bell peppers
• More than 50 different pesticides were detected on every type of crop on the list, except cherries

Clean Fifteen Overall Findings

• Almost 65% of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had ZERO detectable pesticide residues
• Less than 2% of Avocados and sweet corn samples showed any detectable pesticides
• Only 10% of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had residues of two or more pesticides
• No more than three pesticides appeared in samples of the first six Clean Fifteen items

Final Thoughts

By making targeted choices based on these lists, you can significantly reduce your pesticide exposure without the expense of an all-organic diet.

Remember, any fresh produce is better than none at all. The goal isn’t perfection but progress toward healthier eating habits that work for your real life. I hope this helps make your next shopping trip a little less stressful and a lot more empowering.

Here’s to making informed choices that work for both your health and your wallet!