The Cleanest (and Dirtiest!) Produce You Can Buy
Celebrate National Organic Harvest Month with this guide to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” produce from the Environmental Working Group
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Looking for clean produce? Every year, the Environmental Working Group puts out its list of the best and worst fruits and vegetables based on pesticide content. While it’s great to eat an exclusively all-organic diet, that’s not realistic for many of us. Use this guide to make savvy purchases where it matters most.
Clean 15
Clean produce — conventional versions of these fruits and veggies tend to be lower in pesticides.
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Honeydew Melon
- Cantaloupe
The Dirty Dozen
The opposite of clean produce, conventional versions of these fruits and veggies are heavily pesticided, so you should buy organic whenever possible. We included a few of our favorite organic treats incorporating Dirty Dozen ingredients.
1. Strawberries
Try: Peaceful Fruits Strawberry + Açai Drizzle
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Kale, Collard, & Mustard Greens
Try: Suja Organic Mighty Dozen Greens Juice
5. Cherries
6. Apples
Try: Eden Organic Apple Butter
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
Try: GoodPop Concord Grape Pops
9. Celery
10. Bell & Hot Peppers
11. Tomato
12. Pear
make it!
