The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15: What to Buy Organic

Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its list of produce containing the highest and least amounts of pesticides. The list changes frequently, based on crop conditions in a given year, but Annie B. Kay, an integrative dietitian and Kripalu’s former Lead Nutritionist, says certain foods (such as apples, strawberries, and spinach) are longtime occupants of the list.

Nutritionist and Kripalu presenter JohnBagnulo highly recommends buying organic when it comes to the items on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. “It’s an unnecessary risk, especially for children, to consume fruits and vegetables with those chemical loads, ” he says.

The Dirty Dozen

These 12 fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticide residue, herbicides, and fungicides. Here’s the 2019 list in the order of toxicity:

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes

John is most concerned about fruits like peaches, apples, and strawberries, because of the volume people eat, especially kids. Americans also consume large quantities of potatoes—as French fries, baked potatoes, and potato chips. According to the EWG, the average potato had more pesticides by weight than any other food.