The 12 Most Pesticide-Laden Fruits and Vegetables

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its “Dirty Dozen” list of the fruits and vegetables that rank highest in pesticide residues. This year, strawberries top the list.

For the first time, strawberries outrank apples, which previously headed the list for 5 years running.

For the report, the EWG analyzed test results of more than 35,200 samples of fruits and vegetables taken by the USDA and the FDA. Nearly all of the non-organic strawberry samples – at least 98% – contained detectable levels of pesticides, with 47% having residues of 10 or more pesticides. Some of the strawberries were found to have residues from 17 different pesticides.