New Report: 2024 Dirty Dozen & Clean 15

James Colquhoun JAMES COLQUHOUN

Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzes the most recent USDA data to compile its infamous Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists. They’re lists we await with great anticipation, and we know our community does too. It’s really interesting to see how the standards around food safety and chemical exposure change from year to year.

To come up with this year's lists, the EWG looked at USDA data from tests on nearly 45,000 samples of the most popular fruits and veggies. 

The lists aren’t meant to be a what’s hot and what’s not of the fruit and vegetables. Rather, they should be a guide of the foods you should definitely be striving to buy organic, and those it may be okay to let slide from time-to-time.

2024’s Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen consists of fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest levels of pesticide residues when conventionally grown. The idea is that if you’re concerned about pesticide exposure, you might want to prioritize buying these items organically. 

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collard & Mustard Greens
  4. Grapes
  5. Peaches
  6. Pears
  7. Nectarines
  8. Apples
  9. Bell & Hot Peppers (Capsicum)
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green Beans

2024's Clean 15

The Clean 15 comprises fruits and vegetables that tend to have the lowest levels of pesticide residues when conventionally grown. For these items, buying organic is considered less crucial because they have lower pesticide residue levels. So to err on the side of caution, we definitely recommend you buy organic, or at least spray-free, when picking these up at your local grower this year.

  1. Carrots
  2. Sweet Potato
  3. Mango
  4. Mushrooms
  5. Watermelon
  6. Cabbage
  7. Kiwi
  8. Honeydew
  9. Asparagus
  10. Sweet Peas
  11. Papayas
  12. Onions
  13. Pineapple
  14. Corn
  15. Avocado

One thing you’ll notice is that most of these safe foods tend to have a tougher exterior, skin, or husk that is removed when prepared for eating. You could even see this as a suit of armor that protects the foods from the outside world so you can enjoy them in all their deliciousness.

 

 

James Colquhoun

BY JAMES COLQUHOUN

James Colquhoun is the filmmaker behind Food Matters, Hungry For Change, and Transcendence Seasons 1 & 2 and founder of Food Matters and FMTV. Along with Laurentine ten Bosch, James founded the Food Matters community following the release of the 2008 documentary, giving people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. From here, FMTV was born! It was designed as a place where you can access vital information by watching all of your favorite inspiring documentaries, expert interviews, & recipe videos in one place, and in early 2020 FMTV found it's new home on Gaia.