Whether organic or conventionally grown, fruits and vegetables are critical components of a healthy diet. However, many crops contain potentially harmful pesticides, even after washing, peeling or scrubbing, which the USDA does before testing each item. Since pesticide contamination varies by crop, it is important to understand which items are most or least contaminated. Tests from the Environmental Working Group determined the following items to be the Clean Fifteen for 2022.
EWG’s Clean Fifteen for 2022
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
These 15 items had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data.
Key findings:
- Almost 70 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
- Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest produce – less than 2 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.
- Just under 5 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had residues of two or more pesticides.
- The first six Clean Fifteen items tested positive for just three or fewer pesticides per sample.
Article adapted from ewg.org.
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