2026 'Dirty Dozen' flagging produce
A new 2026 “Dirty Dozen” report found nearly every sample of popular fruits and veggies — including spinach, berries, apples and potatoes — tested positive for pesticide residues and some ‘forever chemicals,’ raising fresh food‑safety concerns for families. The findings underscore prioritizing washing, peeling, or organic purchases for high‑risk items. (cnn.com)
EWG analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture residue data from 54,344 samples of 47 fruits and vegetables and detected 264 pesticides and breakdown products. (ewg.org) Ninety‑six percent of samples on the 2026 Dirty Dozen contained at least one pesticide, and 203 different pesticides were detected specifically on those Dirty Dozen crops. (ewg.org) Spinach ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by kale/collards/mustard greens, strawberries, grapes and nectarines; blackberries, pears, apples, cherries, peaches, potatoes and blueberries rounded out the twelve. (ewg.org) Most Dirty Dozen items averaged four or more different pesticides per sample, while potatoes averaged two pesticides per sample. (ewg.org) The report flags PFAS pesticides as prominent: fludioxonil was the most frequently detected pesticide overall (found in 14% of all samples and in nearly 90% of peaches and plums), while fluopyram appeared in 8% of samples and bifenthrin in 7%. (ewg.org) EWG found PFAS pesticides on 63% of Dirty Dozen samples and noted that three of the 10 most frequently detected pesticides meet the internationally recognized definition of PFAS. (ewg.org) EWG’s analysis is based on USDA Pesticide Data Program testing; the USDA PDP provides the underlying residue data while USDA‑linked reporting shows over 99% of foods sampled in 2024 complied with EPA pesticide‑residue limits. (ewg.org) (food-safety.com) EWG’s 2026 Clean Fifteen named lower‑risk conventionally grown items led by pineapple, sweet corn and avocados, and the guide reports nearly 60% of Clean Fifteen samples had no detectable pesticide residues. (ewg.org)
