The 12 Most Pesticide-Contaminated Fruits & Veggies

Discover which everyday produce items harbor hidden chemical threats and how to stay safe!

Written by Jyotsana Rao, BE
Last Updated on
The 12 Most Pesticide-Contaminated Fruits & Veggies

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We all know that fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious, and it is necessary to include them in our daily diet. But, have you ever stopped to think what would happen to our health if all these seemingly healthy foods we gorge on are contaminated with harmful pesticides?

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released a list of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables. Surprisingly, apples have been ranked as one of the most contaminated fruits for the fifth year in a row.

Mentioned below are this year’s lists of Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.

The Dirty Dozen

1. Strawberries

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The study showed that a single sample of strawberry contained 13 different types of pesticides.

2. Apples

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Being one of the most contaminated fruits (99%), can an apple a day really keep the doctor away?

3. Nectarines

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Nectarines have been tested as 98% positive for at least one pesticide residue.

4. Peaches

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Around 97% of peaches have been tested positive for pesticide residues.

5. Celery

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Around 96% of the celery samples were found contaminated with pesticides.

6. Grapes

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The grape samples contained around 13 to 14 different pesticides.

7. Cherries

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A single sample of cherry contained 15 different types of pesticides.

8. Spinach

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A sample of spinach had around 66 pesticides.

9. Tomatoes

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Tomatoes ranked 9th on the list of Dirty Dozen’s highly contaminated fruits and vegetables (same as last year).

10. Sweet Bell Peppers

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Around 69% of sweet bell peppers tested were contaminated with pesticides.

11. Cherry Tomatoes

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A sample of cherry tomatoes contained 13 different pesticides.

12. Cucumbers

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Cucumber was in the 9th position in last year’s list.

The Clean Fifteen

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Cabbage
  5. Frozen sweet peas
  6. Onions
  7. Asparagus
  8. Mangoes
  9. Papaya
  10. Kiwi
  11. Eggplant
  12. Honeydew melon
  13. Grapefruit
  14. Cantaloupe
  15. Cauliflower

Are you wondering that if all these fruits and vegetables contain pesticides in such high amounts, what will we eat? Sonya Lunder, senior analyst of EWG, says, “We are saying eat your fruits and vegetables, but know which ones have the highest amounts of pesticides so you can opt for the organic versions, if available and affordable.”

We hope you found this information useful. Share your views in the comments section below.

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Jyotsana Rao
Jyotsana RaoBeauty & Lifestyle Writer
Jyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She is passionate about writing about everything related to beauty - makeup, fashion, hairstyles, skin care, or hair care and has 4 years of experience on writing in these genres.

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