Spinach: The Pesticide-Heavy Leafy Green
Spinach claimed the top spot on the Environmental Working Group’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list, bumping strawberries from their long-held position. Spinach topped the list, with more pesticide residue by weight than any other produce tested. This leafy green has become notorious for its ability to absorb and retain harmful chemicals.
Findings from The Cornucopia Institute suggest an increase in pesticide residues on spinach, highlighting the importance of careful washing and consideration of organic options. Choosing organic spinach and washing as thoroughly as possible is the best way to reduce pesticide exposure. The health benefits of spinach are undeniable – it’s packed with vitamins A and C and supports gut health – but the pesticide concern makes organic varieties a smart investment.
Strawberries: America’s Favorite Contaminated Berry
According to the EWG, the average American eats about eight pounds of strawberries on an annual basis, which isn’t a huge shocker. These sweet treats have consistently ranked among the worst produce for pesticide contamination. It’s reported that some strawberry growers use various methods, including gasses, to manage pests and weeds. Because of this fact alone, it’s best to buy organic strawberries if accessible to you.
What makes strawberries particularly problematic is their delicate skin and the fact that we consume them whole, including the exterior surface. In 2025, strawberries and spinach stood out – 96% of samples showed pesticide residues, and some had more than 50 different pesticides. When you consider that families often use strawberries in smoothies, desserts, and as snacks for children, investing in organic makes perfect sense for reducing overall pesticide exposure.
Potatoes: The Surprising New Dirty Dozen Addition
Potatoes are also new to the 2025 Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. Almost 90% of spuds contained a banned pesticide in the EU, chlorpropham. This discovery is particularly concerning given that potatoes are one of America’s most consumed vegetables. The presence of chlorpropham is alarming because The European Union ended its approval of chlorpropham in 2019, following a 2017 assessment that found risks to consumers and workers from its use and presence on food, primarily potatoes.
Potatoes joining the list is a big deal, since they’re such a common food. Their appearance points to changes in how they’re grown. Since we often eat potatoes with their skins on – whether baked, roasted, or fried – choosing organic varieties helps avoid this banned substance that’s still showing up in conventional potatoes throughout the United States.
Kale and Dark Leafy Greens: The Healthy Choice Gone Wrong
Sadly, over half of my beloved greens of kale, collard, and mustards were found to contain possible cancer-causing pesticides. That should be the opposite effect when reaching for a healthy vegetable. It’s particularly frustrating when foods we choose for their health benefits end up carrying such concerning chemical loads.
Just like spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens are staples in most of our wellness routines, and for good reason. Dark leafy greens typically contain a high amount of phytonutrients that may support immunity and digestion. This doesn’t mean you should never eat kale again. What it might mean is that when you do buy kale, you save up, and buy organic kale. The nutritional benefits of these powerhouse vegetables are too important to skip, but organic versions ensure you get the nutrients without the chemical baggage.
Organic Dairy Products: The Hidden Nutritional Advantage
The papers, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, show that organic milk and meat contain about 50% higher levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally produced products. They also show that organic meat had lower concentrations of two saturated fats, and that organic milk and dairy products contain 40% more of the heart-healthy conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than their conventional counterparts.
This is important because diets low in omega-3s, especially in combination with high omega-6 diets, are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Diets with high omega-3 intakes, on the other hand, suppress these conditions. The research is particularly compelling because They are the first to utilize state-of-the-art meta-analysis techniques. Plus, these are the most comprehensive reviews ever conducted on these topics, and drew upon findings from 196 papers on milk and 67 papers on meat from around the world.
Organic Eggs: Nature’s Perfect Organic Package
A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken. In fact, eggs are pretty much the perfect food. When it comes to choosing between conventional and organic eggs, the decision becomes even more important given that In CR’S survey, of the 73 percent of Americans who said they’ve bought organic food, the most common organic purchases among grocery shoppers were produce (62 percent), eggs (37 percent), meat and poultry (35 percent), and dairy (32 percent).
Organic eggs come from hens that haven’t been given antibiotics or synthetic hormones, and they’ve been fed organic feed. In one study of 50 adults who were overweight or had obesity, eating eggs and toast instead of cereal and milk with orange juice decreased feelings of hunger following the meal, prolonged the period of not being hungry and made them eat ~180 calories less at lunch 4 hours later. another study, eating eggs was associated with a 38% lower risk of excessive body fat and a 34% lower risk of central obesity. The satiety and nutritional benefits make organic eggs a worthwhile investment for families.
Blackberries: The Newly Discovered Problem Child
Blackberries’ newcomer status on the Dirty Dozen comes after the USDA tested the fruit for the first time, in 2023. More than 90% of conventional blackberries had detectable pesticide residues, with an average of four pesticides per sample. This discovery came as a surprise to many health-conscious consumers who had considered blackberries a relatively safe choice.
Blackberries had never been tested until now, and they found four different chemicals on 93% of the samples. Like strawberries, blackberries are consumed whole, skin and all, making pesticide exposure more direct. Their recent addition to the Dirty Dozen serves as a reminder that our understanding of pesticide contamination in produce continues to evolve as testing expands to include more foods.
Grapes: The Wine Country’s Chemical Cocktail
Grapes have been a consistent presence on the Dirty Dozen list for years, and their inclusion makes perfect sense when you consider agricultural practices. Spinach topped the list, with more pesticide residue by weight than any other produce tested, followed by strawberries, kale (along with mustard greens and collards), grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, pears, apples, blackberries, blueberries and potatoes. In descending order, this year’s Dirty Dozen list includes spinach, kale and collard greens; grapes; peaches; pears; nectarines; apples; bell peppers; hot peppers; cherries; blueberries; and green beans.
Both table grapes and wine grapes receive intensive chemical treatments throughout their growing season to prevent fungal diseases and pest damage. Since we typically eat grapes with their skins on and often feed them to children as snacks, choosing organic varieties significantly reduces pesticide exposure. The sweet taste that makes grapes so appealing to kids also makes them one of the most important fruits to buy organic when possible.
Apples: An American Classic with a Chemical Problem
Apples have long held a spot on the Dirty Dozen list, which challenges the old saying about keeping the doctor away. The apple’s thin skin does little to protect against pesticide penetration, and since we often eat apples with the peel, we’re consuming whatever chemicals remain on the surface. More than 95 percent of all the conventionally grown samples of the produce on the Dirty Dozen contained pesticides.
Foods your family eats frequently from the dirty dozen foods 2025 list · Items your children consume regularly (like strawberries for smoothies) Produce where you eat the skin (apples, pears, grapes). This makes apples a prime candidate for organic purchasing, especially considering they’re often the first whole fruit introduced to babies and remain a lunchbox staple throughout childhood. The convenience and nutritional benefits of apples make them too valuable to avoid, but organic versions offer peace of mind.
Cherries: The Seasonal Splurge Worth Making Organic
Cherries round out our list of foods worth buying organic, consistently appearing among the most contaminated fruits in annual testing. A total of 203 pesticides were found on the Dirty Dozen, with samples of all types of produce – except cherries – showing over 50 pesticides. Pesticides were found on 96 percent of samples of all 12 types of produce. While cherries may have shown fewer total pesticides than other Dirty Dozen items, they still contained significant residues.
The seasonal nature of cherries actually makes them an easier organic purchase to justify – you’re only buying them for a few months each year, so the higher cost doesn’t impact your budget year-round. Fresh cherries are often eaten as snacks, baked into desserts, or processed into juices that concentrate any pesticide residues. When cherry season arrives, investing in organic varieties ensures you can enjoy their antioxidant benefits without the chemical concerns.
