EWG's Dirty Dozen - produce with the most pesticides.
The full list is longer. 1. Strawberries, 2. Spinach, 3. Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens, 4. Nectarines, 5. Apples, 6. Grapes, 7. Bell & Hot peppers, 8. Cherries, 9. Peaches, 10. Pears, 11. Celery, 12.
1. Strawberries, 2. Spinach, (had the most pesticides by weight of any crop, 1.8 times more) 3. Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens, (103 pesticides in total, up to 21 in one sample plant), 4. Nectarines, 5. Apples, 6. Grapes, 7. Bell & Hot peppers, (101 pesticides) 8. Cherries, 9. Peaches, 10. Pears, 11. Celery, 12. Tomatoes, 13. Potatoes,
14. Blueberries, 15. Cherry Tomatoes, 16. Winter Squash, 17. Lettuce, 18. Cucumbers, 19. Tangerines, 20. Green beans, 21. Plums, 22. Broccoli, 23. Eggplant,
24. Raspberries, 25. Summer squash,* 26. Grapefruit, 27. Snap peas, 28. Oranges, 29. Carrots, 30. Bananas, 31. Cauliflower, 32. Sweet Potatoes, 33. Watermelon,
34. Mangoes, 35. Cantaloupe, 36. Mushrooms, 37. Cabbage, 38. Kiwi, 39. Honeydew melon, 40. Asparagus, 41. Sweet potatoes, (frozen), 42. Papaya,* 43. Onions,
44. Pineapple, 45. Sweet corn,* 46. Avocados.
* A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.
The Environmental Working Group, EWG's 2022 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce | Full List. (ewg.org, 2022)
Enter your email to get a downloadable copy of the Dirty Dozen list and the Clean Fifteen TM
Details in the (…) are from the report, read here: (Report/ewg.org, 2022)
The Clean Fifteen TM look very familiar. Just in reverse order here - I got the download, (ewg.org, 2022), printable wallet cards with the 12 and the 15, leaving out 13 through 34.
15. Sweet Potatoes, 14. Watermelon,
13. Mangoes, 12. Cantaloupe, 11. Mushrooms, 10. Cabbage, 9. Kiwi, 8. Honeydew melon, 7. Asparagus, 6. Sweet potatoes, (frozen), 5. Papaya,* 4. Onions,
3. Pineapple, 2. Sweet corn,* 1. Avocados. (ewg.org, 2022)
I see what they did there.
I also see that pomegranate is not on the list - based on what I read about raising it commercially, I do use the peel of commercially grown, though I try to get organic when possible. I have also used mango peel that was commercial fruit. Organic oranges are more available. *The Environmental Working Group only had data for 46 products, so likely did not have data for pomegranate.
Pomegranate shrubs are hardy from what I read and less pesticides are needed except some glyphosate to keep weeds down in the rows between the shrubby trees - like miniature apple trees with more branches and less trunk.
I may be wrong - or partially wrong - some other agriculture chemicals are also recommended.
“For example, commercial grape and pomegranate cultivation requires repeated applications of ethephon (for the development of fruit colour), fosetyl-Al (a fungicide), glyphosate (a herbicide), and glufosinate (a herbicide) during various growth phases (1).” (Shinde and Banerjee, 2022)
US rule sets pomegranate pesticide levels, …at 0.6 ppm for insecticide methoxyfenozide, lower than for other foods mentioned - pea, dry seed, 2.5 ppm. (nutraingredients-usa.com, 2020)
The beneficial phytonutrients may outweigh the negatives of some residue - toxins are in the air and everything practically, just lower levels in organically grown produce. That is better for the soil too. The phytonutrients from produce help us detox the toxins. Drink plenty of water too, get full range of motion exercise and sweating occasionally can help too.
Strawberries though, number one more than one year probably. I try to buy organic or skip them. Wild tiny ones were growing in my backyard this year - little treats throughout the summer and a few wild black raspberries.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. It is not intended to provide individual guidance. Please seek a functional health care provider for individualized health care guidance.
Reference List
(ewg.org, 2022) ‘EWG's 2022 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, Full List’, https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php
(Report/ewg.org, 2022) EWG Science Team, ‘EWG’s 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™’, April 7, 2022, Environmental Working Group, ewg.org, https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php
(nutraingredients-usa.com, 2020) US rule sets pomegranate pesticide levels, 03-Sep-20, https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2009/09/03/US-rule-sets-pomegranate-pesticide-levels?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright
(Shinde and Banerjee, 2022) Raviraj Shinde, Kaushik Banerjee, Determination of Highly Polar and Ionic Pesticides in Grape and Pomegranate Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, Volume 105, Issue 5, September-October 2022, Pages 1341–1349, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoacint/qsac019 https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/105/5/1341/6530290