EWG’s 2018 Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
If you can’t purchase all organic produce, at least choose organic for the items below.
STRAWBERRIES |
One strawberry sample contained an astounding 22 pesticide residues.
One-third of all conventional strawberry samples contained 10 or more pesticides. |
SPINACH |
97 percent of conventional spinach samples contained pesticide residues.
Conventional spinach had relatively high concentrations of permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide. |
NECTARINES |
Nearly 94 percent of nectarine samples contained two or more pesticides.
One sample of conventionally grown nectarines contained residues of 15 pesticides. |
APPLES |
90 percent of conventional apples had detectable pesticide residues.
80 percent of apples tested contained diphenylamine, a pesticide banned in Europe. |
GRAPES |
Grapes contain an average of five pesticide residues.
More than 96 percent of conventional grapes test positive for pesticide residues. |
PEACHES |
More than 99 percent of conventional peaches had detectable pesticide residues.
An average of four pesticide residues were detected on conventional peaches. |
CHERRIES |
An average of five pesticides were detected on conventional cherries.
30 percent of cherry samples contained iprodione, a pesticide not allowed in Europe, which may cause cancer. |
PEARS |
Pears contained several pesticides in relatively high concentrations, including insecticides and fungicides.
More than half of conventionally grown pears tested had residues of five or more pesticides. |
TOMATOES |
Nearly four pesticides were detected on the average conventionally grown tomato.
One sample of conventional tomatoes contained 15 different pesticides and breakdown products. |
CELERY |
More than 95 percent of conventional celery samples tested positive for pesticides.
A maximum of 13 pesticides were detected on a sample of conventional celery. |
POTATOES |
Conventional potatoes had more pesticide residues by weight than any other crop.
One pesticide in particular, chlorpropham, makes up the bulk of pesticides detected on potatoes. |
SWEET BELL PEPPERS |
Almost 90 percent of conventional sweet bell pepper samples contained pesticide residues.
Sweet bell peppers can contain fewer pesticide residues than other Dirty Dozen foods, but the pesticides tend to be more toxic to human health. |