More than 70 percent of non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables sold in the U.S. contain traces of potentially harmful pesticides, according to a new report from an advocacy group.
The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce highlights a variety of potentially unsafe produce based on residue tests conducted by federal agencies.
Strawberries, spinach, kale, collard greens and mustard greens again topped the group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of non-organic produce to avoid based on its research. That list is largely unchanged from last year, though bell peppers and hot peppers moved up several spots.
Meanwhile, the group’s “Clean Fifteen” list of conventional fruits and vegetables that present minimal risk underwent more significant changes, with broccoli, cauliflower and eggplant dropped from the list due to lagging testing while mangoes, watermelon and sweet potatoes were added.
“If you’re eating fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen, a lot and very frequently, if you’re a child or potentially pregnant — these sort of sensitive windows of development — those are times also where we would recommend it being better to opt for organic if possible, or choose items on the Clean Fifteen,” Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at EWG, told The Hill.
EWG scientists updated this year’s guide by analyzing the latest pesticide residue tests available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food a