Spinach: The Pesticide Powerhouse
Spinach topped the 2025 Dirty Dozen list, with more pesticide residue by weight than any other produce tested. This leafy green has consistently ranked as one of the most contaminated vegetables in America, making it a prime candidate for your organic shopping cart. The problem with spinach isn’t just the amount of pesticides—it’s the variety. Testing reveals spinach samples can contain residues from numerous different chemicals, creating a cocktail effect that researchers are still trying to understand. Think of it this way: if you’re going to splurge on organic produce, spinach should be at the top of your list. Because produce people eat regularly may be contaminated with hundreds of pesticides, they’re exposed to a mix of pesticides with varying toxicities, and animal studies show that exposure to mixtures of pesticides can be more toxic than to one pesticide at a time. The delicate leaves of spinach make it particularly vulnerable to absorbing whatever chemicals are sprayed on them during growing.
Strawberries: Sweet Deception
Strawberries consistently appear at the top of the Dirty Dozen lists since the vulnerable crop requires several types of pesticides in order to protect against pests and disease, and because strawberries have a thin skin, it’s easier for pesticides to penetrate their flesh. The average American eats about eight pounds of fresh strawberries a year – and with them, dozens of pesticides. Here’s what makes strawberries particularly problematic: their thin, porous skin acts like a sponge for chemicals. Unlike fruits with thick peels that you remove before eating, strawberries expose you directly to whatever’s been sprayed on them. When you buy conventional strawberries, you’re essentially paying to consume a chemical mixture that researchers haven’t fully studied for long-term health effects. The good news? Organic strawberries taste just as sweet, and you can enjoy them without the chemical baggage.
Dairy Products: Hidden Contaminants in Your Glass
A study published in Public Health Nutrition found residues of at least one antibiotic in most non-organic milk samples tested—and about a third of the non-organic samples contained residues of antibiotics that are illegal for use in dairy cows. In contrast, no antibiotic residue was detected in organic milk samples. But antibiotics aren’t the only concern. Research found levels of the bovine growth hormone (bGH), the precursor to IGF-1, to be 20 times higher in conventional milk than organic. Much research since approval has linked high levels of IGF-1 to breast cancer, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Studies have also linked higher levels of IGF-1 to issues in childhood growth and development, as well as immunity. When you choose conventional dairy, you’re potentially exposing yourself and your family to synthetic hormones and antibiotic residues that organic regulations strictly prohibit. Numerous studies have found that organic milk has higher nutritional content, even more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and more disease-fighting antioxidants than non-organic milk. Organic cows are raised in humane conditions and eat healthy diets, so that your glass of organic milk can be served without antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones or controversial pesticides.
Blackberries: The Newcomer with a Problem
Blackberries’ newcomer status on the Dirty Dozen comes after the USDA tested the fruit for the first time, in 2023. The Department of Agriculture first tested blackberries for pesticides in 2023, and a total of 48 chemicals were found across all types of non-organic samples, including a possible human carcinogen. A total of 93 percent of blackberry samples had detectable pesticides, with an average per sample of four pesticides. These small berries pack a big nutritional punch, but conventional varieties come with an unwanted chemical cocktail. Like strawberries, blackberries have thin skins that readily absorb pesticides during growing. These small fruits have thin skins that easily absorb the pesticides conventional farmers use to ward off insects and disease, and the EWG estimates that berries may include as many as 17 types of pesticide residues. The variety of chemicals found on blackberries is particularly concerning because we’re still learning about how these different pesticides interact in our bodies.
Potatoes: America’s Most Consumed Vegetable
Potatoes – the most consumed vegetable in the U.S. – join this year’s Dirty Dozen. Potatoes (along with tomatoes) top the lists of the most consumed produce in the world, and according to the EWG, the starchy tubers contain high traces of chlorpropham, a pesticide used to help prevent sprouting during storage. Here’s what makes potatoes uniquely problematic: they’re grown underground where they can absorb chemicals from treated soil, and they’re often stored for months with additional chemical treatments to prevent sprouting. Think about how many potatoes your family consumes—from french fries to mashed potatoes to baked potatoes. Pesticides posed significant risks in 20 percent of the foods examined, including popular choices such as bell peppers, blueberries, green beans, potatoes, and strawberries. When you’re eating a food this frequently, choosing organic becomes even more important for reducing your cumulative pesticide exposure.
Meat and Poultry: The Antibiotic Crisis
In the U.S., most medically important antibiotics sold – about 70 percent – are given to animals, not humans. Experts have also recently reported that the drugs increasingly go to animals instead of people. The meat industry is responsible for 73% of antibiotic use globally. They are used in intensive livestock production to treat and prevent infections, and are also added to animal feed to increase growth. When animals are routinely given antibiotics, those drugs can end up in the meat you eat. This kind of constant, low-level dosing of animals with antibiotics creates a dangerous breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” which can make their way to us through food, soil, air, water, animals, and people. New estimates now rank hard-to-treat antibiotic-resistant infections as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease and cancer, killing up to 162,000 people every year. When the label on a conventional meat product claims the animal was raised without antibiotics, those claims may be unverified or downright false. Antibiotic use is prohibited in production of USDA-certified organic meat, so worried consumers can choose to buy organic meat. Organic meat regulations ensure animals aren’t routinely dosed with antibiotics, making it a safer choice for your family.
Apples: The All-American Pesticide Problem
While the EWG recently reported that residues are lower than just a couple of years ago, more than 50% of apples still have chemical residues. Here’s the thing about apples that makes them particularly concerning: we often eat them with the peel, where pesticide residues concentrate most heavily. Growers have had to use pesticides on their apples to keep them free of spots and blemishes, because otherwise shoppers wouldn’t buy them. It’s a catch-22 where consumer demand for perfect-looking fruit drives increased pesticide use. While washing produce can often significantly reduce pesticide residues, chemicals can also make their way into the flesh of many fruits and vegetables. Unlike some fruits where you can peel away the skin, most people eat apples whole, making organic apples a smart investment. When you consider that many families eat apples daily—whether fresh, in juice, or as applesauce—the cumulative exposure to pesticide residues can add up quickly. Organic apples ensure you get all the nutritional benefits without the chemical baggage.
