Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen
“The 2021 EWG Shopper’s Guide ranks the pesticide contamination of 46 popular fruits and vegetables. It is based on results of more than 46,000 samples of produce tested by the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that consuming produce high in pesticide residues (like the items on our Dirty Dozen™) increases the risk of certain negative health impacts, and that choosing organic can have almost immediate impacts on the amount of residues in a person’s body.
Consumers seeking fresh produce with the lowest pesticide residues can buy organic versions of items on EWG’s Dirty Dozen and either organic or non-organic versions of produce on our Clean Fifteen™. There are also many organic and Clean Fifteen options in the frozen food aisle.”
