Minimize Harmful Pesticides in Your Diet

The Environmental Working Group complies a helpful Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce every year.

Here is this list for 2026:

EWG’s shopper’s guide

The Clean Fifteen

These 15 items had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data.

01 Pineapples

02 Sweet Corn (fresh and frozen)

03 Avocados

04 Papaya

05 Onion

06 Sweet Peas (frozen)

07 Asparagus

08 Cabbage

09 Cauliflower

10 Watermelon

11 Mangoes

12 Bananas

13 Carrots

14 Mushrooms

15 Kiwi

The middle of the list

These 20 items were included in the fruit and vegetable testing data from the USDA and FDA but do not fall into either the Dirty Dozen or Clean Fifteen lists.

16 Broccoli

17 Cantaloupe

18 Sweet Potatoes

19 Eggplant

20 Snap Peas

21 Grapefruit

22 Raspberries

23 Summer Squash

24 Oranges

25 Tomatillos

26 Plums

27 Tomatoes

28 Winter Squash

29 Cherry Tomatoes

30 Celery

31 Cucumbers

32 Tangerines

33 Lettuce

34 Bell and Hot Peppers

35 Green Beans

The 2026 Dirty Dozen

Of the 47 items included in our analysis, these 12 fruits and vegetables were most contaminated with pesticides:

36 Blueberries

Blueberries back on the Dirty Dozen, with traces of several toxic pesticides

37 Potatoes

Potatoes – the most consumed vegetable in the U.S. – join this year’s Dirty Dozen.

38 Pears

Pears among the most pesticide-contaminated fruit in EWG’s Dirty Dozen

39 Blackberries

Blackberries’ newcomer status on the Dirty Dozen comes after the USDA tested the fruit for the first time, in 2023.

40 Apples

41 Cherries

42 Peaches

Peaches pack a punch when it comes to pesticide contamination

43 Nectarines

44 Grapes

45 Strawberries

The average American eats about eight pounds of fresh strawberries a year – and with them, dozens of pesticides

46 Kale, Collard & Mustard Greens

More than half of kale samples tainted by possibly cancer-causing pesticide

47 Spinach

Spinach has more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce

Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit corporation.

source: www.ewg.org