The Dirty Dozen

The UK Pesticide Action Network publishes an annual "dirty dozen" pesticide list, ranking the most contaminated fruit and vegetables, based on their own independent testing of samples.

The current list ranks the following conventionally grown (i.e, NOT ORGANIC) fruit and veg available on supermarket shelves:

soft citrus (e.g. mandarins)
oranges
lemons
grapes
pears
pulses (beans and peas)
bread
carrots
spring onions
dried beans
peas
green beans

Shocked? Well, this is what consumers are being sold in the mainstream food system. If you want more details on the Pesticide Action Network, check out their website: https://www.pan-uk.org/

The US Environmental Working Group (EWG) also puts out an equivalent list - the items listed are different, but you can see that there are plenty of pesticides being applied out there!

The 2024 (EWG) Dirty Dozen list includes strawberries, spinach, kale, collard greens, grapes, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, bell peppers, cherries, and blueberries, which are the fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticide residues - see https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Pesticide residues are not only (potentially very!) harmful for human health, but also have a devastating impact on wildlife and the natural environment. You may wonder why agribusiness continues to use these poisons? The simple answer is mainly profit for the companies which produce them - unfortunately most conventional farmers are caught up in a cycle of debt and/or lack of understanding, to know how to farm without these poisons.

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