List of fruit and vegetables with highest pesticide levels.

The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released its 2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce that reveals the total pesticide load for 46 popular fruits and   vegetables. The guide also includes new information on pesticides in   baby food and drinking water.

The   EWG guide is famous for listing the worst offenders, dubbed the “Dirty   Dozen,” as well as the produce with the least pesticide residue, called   the “Clean Fifteen.”

It’s   important to note that these lists are based on data from the USDA   pesticide testing program. The produce is washed and/or peeled prior to   testing so the amount of chemicals detected represents what would be   consumed.

Dirty Dozen Plus

These fruits and vegetables are best to buy organic.

1. Apples – 98% of conventionally grown apples had pesticides

2. Celery – Highly contaminated, celery tested positive for 57 different pesticides

3. Sweet Bell Peppers – Up to 15 pesticides were found on a single sample

4. Peaches

5. Strawberries — Thirteen different pesticides were measured on a single sample of strawberries.

6. Nectarines (imported) — Every single nectarine tested had measurable pesticide residues

7. Grapes — As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit, with 64 different chemicals

8. Spinach

9. Lettuce — Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples

10. Cucumbers

11. Blueberries — Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues

12. Potatoes

Plus: Green Beans and Leafy Greens (including Kale and Collard Greens)