The Environmental Working Group has released its 2026 Shopper’s Guide, listing the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues.
The group uses the list of test results from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual report as the basis for its Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.
Although it acknowledges that all fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list are well below acceptable pesticide residue limits, it argues that pesticide residues are dangerous to human health.
In addition to the Dirty Dozen, the environmental group creates a Clean 15 list for its annual Shopper’s Guide. With the list, the group suggested that consumers purchase organic produce. However, the use of certain chemical pesticides and fertilizers is permitted to produce organic fruits and vegetables under the USDA’s Organic Program.
The Alliance for Food and Farming challenges the validity of the environmental group’s Shopper’s Guide.
According to the Food and Agriculture group, “The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) ‘Dirty Dozen’ report once again castigates safe, healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables by misrepresenting USDA pesticide data.
“In its typical approach, EWG overstates the risk of consumer pesticide exposure by omitting key details: In the annual Pesticide Data Program (PDP) report, which is the source material for EWG’s report, more than 99 percent of the products sampled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture contained residues well below the stringent safety standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to the Alliance for Food and Farming, the USDA’s latest report found that most of the products sampled contained residues well below established EPA safety standards, with more than 42% having no detectable residues.
EWG’s Dirty Dozen
1. Spinach
2. Kale, collards, mustard greens
3. Strawberry
4. Grapes
5. Nectarine
6. Peach
7. Cherry
8. Apple
9. Blackberry
10. Pear
11. Potatoes
12.Blueberries
EWG’s Clean 15
- pineapple
- corner
3. Avocado
4. Papaya
5. Onion
6. Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Cabbage
9. Cauliflower
10. Watermelon
11. Mango
12. Banana
13. Carrots
14. Mushrooms
15. Kiwi
