Mythconceptions: The Dirty Dozen

For many years, the popular “Dirty Dozen” list, formulated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has shown the produce with the highest exposure to pesticides. And while it is true that high consumption of these chemicals can be harmful, science now suggests that the alarming annual report perhaps should be taken with a grain of salt.

The United States Agricultural Program (USDA) Pesticide Data Program report on pesticide residues in food has found that about 99% of the food samples tested and deemed “dirty” had pesticide residues well below the safety standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In fact, almost half of the samples had no detectable pesticide residues at all.

This is likely why, when toxicologist Carl Winter investigated the pesticide levels of the Dirty Dozen list, he found that even if a person ate the 12 “dirtiest” foods on the list, the pesticide exposure would be less than 0.01 percent of the level that the EPA considers harmful.

Going further, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) has a calculation tool showing the number of servings of conventional “dirty” fruits and vegetables that a person could consume safely. They found that an adult woman could eat 453 servings (3,624 strawberries!) without experiencing any adverse effects of pesticides—even if the berries had the highest pesticide residue recorded.

A problem with the EWG annual report is that it discourages people, particularly low-income consumers, from eating produce that is so healthy for them. In fact, this survey of over 500 low-income consumers showed that 15% decided to eat fewer fruits and vegetables after becoming aware of the Dirty Dozen list.

It’s good that credible research science has followed up, showing that the health benefits of consuming conventional (non-organic) grown fruits and vegetables is far better for you than we’ve thought in the past.