Produce alarm: Dirty Dozen
The 2026 'Dirty Dozen' report found nearly 100% of tested produce showed pesticide residues — including so‑called 'forever chemicals' — a sharp warning for clean‑eating travelers and meal‑preppers. (edition.cnn.com)
The Environmental Working Group published its 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce on March 24, 2026, based on analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture testing data. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) EWG’s 2026 Dirty Dozen names 12 crops with the highest pesticide contamination, led by spinach and followed by kale/collard/mustard greens, strawberries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, cherries, apples, blackberries, pears, potatoes and blueberries. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) The report identifies fludioxonil — a PFAS-class fungicide — as the most frequently detected pesticide overall, found in 14% of all tested produce samples and in nearly 90% of peaches and plums. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) EWG reports three of the 10 most-detected chemicals meet the internationally recognized definition of PFAS, and PFAS pesticides appeared on 63% of Dirty Dozen samples. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) A total of 203 different pesticides were detected across the Dirty Dozen crops, with most items averaging four or more pesticide residues per sample while potatoes averaged two. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) Nearly 60% of samples for the EWG Clean Fifteen had no detectable pesticide residues, with pineapple, sweet corn and avocados ranking among the lowest-residue items. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) EWG flagged that about 90% of potato samples contained chlorpropham, a sprout inhibitor that has been banned in the European Union. (ewg.org(ewg.org)) EWG’s methodology ranks produce using the number, amount and toxicity of detected residues across 47 tested items and is intended to help shoppers compare low- and high-residue choices. (ewg.org(ewg.org))
