Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen (2024)

FAQs

What are the dirty dozen and the clean 15? ›

It includes two well-known lists: the Dirty Dozen, or the 12 fresh non-organic, or conventional, fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues, as well as the Clean Fifteen, the conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with very low or no traces of pesticides.

The “Clean Fifteen” are the fruits and vegetables that contain the least amount of pesticides: Avocados. Sweet Corn (some of the sweet corn in the US is made with GMO seeds, so buy organic or non-GMO sweet corn if you want to avoid GMO)

These were a group of 12 highly persistent and toxic chemicals: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzen, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and toxaphen.

Peeling or scrubbing produce like potatoes with a stiff clean brush or rubbing soft items like peaches while holding them under running water works best to remove residues. However, pesticide residues can stick better to waxy or soft-skinned fruits.

1. Nightshade Vegetables: Nightshade vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers, contain a chemical called solanine. Solanine can be toxic in large quantities and can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What vegetables can you not eat everyday? ›

However, there are several fruits that are low in pesticides or even not sprayed with pesticides. For instance, kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe, Honeydew melon, and avocados.

Clean 15 option

Avocados topped 2023's list of least contaminated produce again this year, followed by sweet corn in second place. Pineapple, onions and papaya, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, mangoes, sweet potatoes, watermelon, and carrots made up the rest of the list.

As a rule of thumb, washing with water reduces dirt, germs, and pesticide residues remaining on fresh fruit and vegetable surfaces. Washing and rubbing produce under running water is better than dunking it. Wash fruits and vegetables from the farmers' market, your home garden, and the grocery store.

Watermelon, green beans and bell peppers are among the many common fruits and vegetables found in US supermarkets that contain potentially unsafe levels of pesticides, according to an analysis published today by Consumer Reports.

Pineapple, onions and papaya, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, mangoes, sweet potatoes, watermelon, and carrots made up the rest of the list. Being exposed to a variety of foods without pesticides is especially important during pregnancy and throughout childhood, experts say.

Avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, onions and papayas led the “Clean Fifteen” list of conventionally grown produce with the least amount of trace pesticides — nearly 65% of the fruits and veggies in that grouping had no detectable pesticide residues, according to the report released Wednesday.

Mangoes are often contaminated with an insecticide called thiabendazole - an agricultural chemical that is toxic when used at high levels, but the amount of this chemical left on mango is low and in the allowed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Clean 15 Group

Completing that group of 15 are eggplant, honeydew melons, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and cauliflower. To push that portion of the list to 25 would also include mushrooms, sweet potatoes, broccoli, watermelon, oranges, bananas, green onions, snap peas (domestic), summer squash, and tangerines.