Blueberries and strawberries are back in the hot seat this year for being “packed with fungicides.”. They aren’t the only sweet, healthy treats caught in the Environmental Working Group’s crosshairs, either.
Since 2004, the group has produced annual reports on the 12 most contaminated samples of produce. Named the “Dirty Dozen,” these fruits and vegetables are selected based on analyzed data from the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration that featured 47,510 samples of 46 non-organic produce.
The fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticides this year are strawberries; spinach; kale, collard and mustard greens; grapes; peaches; pears; nectarines; apples; bell and hot peppers; cherries; blueberries; and green beans.
According to the 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce , many of the Dirty Dozen foods are packed with fungicides that can cause human ailments.
“Emerging evidence suggests many widely used fungicides may disrupt human hormone systems,” EWG senior toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., said in a news release. “But more studies are needed to better understand the risks they — and all pesticides — pose to humans, particularly children.”
The 2024 guide also featured the Clean Fifteen, a list of the year’s fruits and vegetables with the least pesticides.
“EWG recommends consumers seeking fresh produce with low pesticide residues buy organic versions of items on EWG’s Dirty Dozen and either organic or conventional versions of produce on the Clean Fifteen,” Temkin said. “There are also many organic and Clean Fifteen options in the frozen food aisle.”
This year’s Clean Fifteen are avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, mushrooms, mangoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.
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