The 2024 Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods You Should Buy Organic, According to the Environmental Working Group

One of the easiest thing you can do to improve your overall health is to eat more fruit and vegetables. The benefits of eating enough produce include lowering your risk of heart disease, improving your brain health and more. The USDA recommends eating 400 grams of produce each day, which is about 5 servings—or 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables.

So does it matter if the produce is organic or not? Eating more fruits and vegetables is good for you no matter if its organic or conventional. But if you're concerned about pesticides in your food, then you may choose to buy organic. If you want to buy organic food but the higher costs don't work for your budget, one resource to reference is the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Updated annually, the nonprofit organization shares its findings based on testing data from the USDA and Food and Drug Organization. The USDA peels or scrubs and washes fruits and vegetables before testing for pesticide residues, while the FDA only removes dirt.

The guide includes the Dirty Dozen (below), which highlight fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide resides, and the Clean Fifteen, which has the lowest. If you want to buy organic but your budget doesn't allow, you could prioritize opting for organic versions of the items on the Dirty Dozen and conventional fruits and vegetables on the Clean Fifteen.

More than 99% of the foods USDA sampled in 2022 had residues below tolerance levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EWG can measure the presence of residues but cannot draw conclusions about the danger they may pose. It's also worth noting that some of the data EWG used to draw its conclusions are more than 10 years old—or older. It's also important to note that the USDA monitors pesticide use and residues in fruits and vegetables. Read below to see the fruits and vegetables on the 2024 EWG's Dirty Dozen list.

1. Strawberries

Pictured Recipe: Strawberry Tart

Strawberries remain at the top of the list as the produce item with the most pesticide residues. According to EWG, more than 99% of the strawberries sampled tested positive for at least one pesticide and 30% had residues of 10 or more.

2. Spinach

Pictured Recipe: Balsamic-Parmesan Sautéed Spinach

Spinach has more pesticide residue by weight (remember spinach leaves weigh very little) compared to any of the other produce tested, according to EWG. Relatively high concentrations of permethrin, a known neurotoxin, were found in 76% of the samples.

3. Kale, Collards and Mustard Greens

Pictured Recipe: Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

According to the EWG, the most pesticides were found on kale, collard and mustard greens, with 103 different ones found on items in this category. And the majority of kale (60%) was contaminated with DCPA, a pesticide the EPA considers a possible human carcinogen.

4. Grapes

Pictured Recipe: Grape Chutney

More than 90% of the conventional grapes that were tested contained two or more pesticide residues, according to the EWG.

5. Peaches

Pictured Recipe: Peach Galette

Almost all of the conventional peach samples—99%—contained pesticide residues, according to the EWG. And more than 65% had four or more pesticide residues.

6. Pears

Pictured Recipe: Vanilla, Cinnamon & White Wine Poached Pears with Yogurt

More than half of the pear samples (61%) tested had residue from five or more pesticides, according to the EWG. Overall, 64 different pesticides were found in the pear samples.

7. Nectarines

Pictured Recipe: Hoisin-Glazed Pork-&-Nectarine Kebabs

Over 90% of the conventional nectarine samples contained two or more pesticides, per the EWG.

8. Apples

Pictured Recipe: Brioche French Toast with Griddled Apples

Over 90% of the conventional apple samples contained two or more pesticides, per the EWG.

9. Bell Peppers and Hot Peppers

Pictured Recipe: Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Mozzarella & Basil

More than 100 pesticides were detected on hot peppers and bell peppers, one of the highest number of different pesticides found on the produce tested (second only to kale, collard and mustard greens), per the EWG.

10. Cherries

Pictured Recipe: Cherry & Goat Cheese Crostini

Over 90% of conventional cherry samples tested positive for two or more pesticide residues, per the EWG.

11. Blueberries

Pictured Recipe: Summer Blueberry Salad with Toasted Pecans & Feta

According to the EWG, 9 out of 10 of the blueberry samples tested had pesticide residues, with 80% of samples having more than two types of pesticides.

12. Green Beans

Pictured Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Similar to blueberries, 9 out of 10 of all green bean samples had pesticide residues found, often more than two types, according the EWG.

The Bottom Line

Should you only buy organic fruits and vegetables? The short answer is no. The most important thing you can do for your overall health is to eat more fruits and vegetables, no matter if they're conventional or organic. If you choose to buy organic produce, you may want to prioritize items in this list, since they are higher in pesticide residues. But the bottom line is that more produce is better, so don't let this list dissuade you from including fruits and vegetables in your eating pattern.