Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen

Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen

Sometimes it is hard to buy all organic whether not available or unaffordable. Below I have provided their list of the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen. Feel free to print and take shopping with you to save money and time.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases lists every year of the most and least contaminated produce to help consumers make informed choices. A total of about 50 fruits and vegetables are tested and ranked by the total number of pesticides detected on the crop and the percentage of samples tested with detectable pesticides. 

Clean Fifteen

1 Avocado

 2 Sweet corn **

 3 Pineapples

 4 Cabbage

 5 Sweet peas (frozen) *

 6 Onions 

7 Asparagus

 8 Mangoes

 9 Papayas

 10 Kiwi

 11 Eggplant

 12 Grapefruit

 13 Cantaloupe

 14 Cauliflower

 15 Sweet potatoes

Dirty Dozen

1 Apples

 2 Peaches

 3 Nectarines

 4 Strawberries

 5 Grapes

 6 Celery

 7 Spinach

 8 Sweet bell peppers

 9 Cucumbers 

10 Cherry tomatoes

 11 Snap peas - imported *

12 Potatoes *

 13 Hot peppers

 14 Kale / Collard greens 

*= not Paleo but can do occasionally

**= grain and not part of Paleo lifestyle

References:

Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php