Once again, strawberries and spinach, along with kale and collard and mustard greens, top this year's "Dirty Dozen" list, an annual and controversial ranking of non-organic fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticides found in samples of the foods.
The yearly report comes from the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving human health and the environment, and also includes a "Clean 15" list of produce.
The report gives people valuable information, says the Environmental Working Group's Alexis Temkin, PhD, a toxicologist, so they can make informed choices about the fruits and vegetables they buy.
2022 Results: Dirty Dozen
More than 70% of the conventionally grown produce had detectable pesticide residue, the Environmental Working Group found. These fruits and vegetables were found to have the most pesticide residues this year:
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, and collard and mustard greens
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Bell and hot peppers
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Celery
Tomatoes
2022 Results: Clean 15
Almost 70% of the Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable residues of pesticides, the Environmental Working Group found. Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest, with less than 2% of samples showing any detectable pesticides.
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Cabbage
Mushrooms
Cantaloupe
Mangoes
Watermelon
Sweet potatoes