Dirty Dozen List 2025: A Complete Guide for Busy People

Need the dirty dozen list fast? Here it is. Short on time? Jump to my 5-minute Dirty Dozen action plan below. Want the full story? Keep reading for the complete guide with all of the details.

My guess is that you’re reading this article about the Dirty Dozen list right now because of at least one of these reasons:

• You care about what you and your family eat and hate the idea of you and your loved ones eating pesticides
• You know organic would decrease your pesticide exposure, but you’re also on a budget
• You feel overwhelmed trying to keep track of all the health information floating out there, including which produce has the most pesticides

This article is for you—the super busy individual (whether you’re a parent, student, working professional, etc.) who’s trying your best to eat healthy despite how hectic life gets. When writing this article, I had one big goal in mind: to somehow make a very important aspect of healthy eating easier for you (in this case, pesticide exposure via produce) and to help reduce that on-the-spot decision fatigue you may get at the grocery store or when thinking about healthy eating.

We’ll cover what the Dirty Dozen list is, which produce made the list, the clean fifteen alternatives, and some practical tips to make navigating all of this a little less overwhelming.

What Is the Dirty Dozen List and The Clean Fifteen List?

If you’ve heard of the EWG (Environmental Working Group), they are the ones behind the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists. Since 2007, the EWG has analyzed pesticide levels on conventionally grown produce samples. Using that data, they create two annual lists: the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. In a nutshell, the Dirty Dozen are the produce with the most pesticides while the Clean Fifteen are the produce with the least pesticides. According to EWG’s most recent 2025 data, a whopping 96% of Dirty Dozen samples contained pesticides—nearly all of them! As if that weren’t bad enough, they found 203 pesticides in that Dirty Dozen list of produce. 203! I personally would think 10-20 is bad enough. But 203?! Meanwhile, about 40% of Clean Fifteen samples contained pesticides (EWG Science Team, 2025). This obviously isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely way better than 96%!

Why Should I Care About Pesticides on My Produce?

Here is why pesticides on produce that we eat matters. More and more scientific evidence is surfacing that pesticides can negatively disrupt our hormone systems. This is why pesticides are classified as hormone disruptors. This disruption leads to many problems including:

• fertility complications (Bretveld et al., 2006),
• congenital birth defects,
• cancer (Kumar et al., 2023),
• neurodevelopmental issues,
• and neurodegenerative disease (Leemans et al., 2019).

Kids are especially vulnerable because of their developing bodies. We still have a long way to go in terms of understanding all of the effects of hormone disruptors like pesticides. But what we have seen is definitely not good.

It’s important to remember that the issue isn’t one apple with pesticide residue—it’s the daily accumulation from eating conventional produce meal after meal. And on top of that, our exposure to hormone disruptors elsewhere in our lives (e.g., via cosmetics, fragrances, etc.). The more we can decrease our exposure load, the better!

What Can I Do About Pesticides on My Produce?

Try to Buy Organic for Produce on the Dirty Dozen List

One way to significantly reduce pesticides on your produce is to buy organic for produce on the Dirty Dozen list. Although I know how obnoxious it is to have to pay extra for something that you think shouldn’t even have the pesticides in the first place! Also, keep in mind that the organic label doesn’t exactly guarantee 0% pesticide exposure, although it’s generally the better option nonetheless (but annoyingly the more expensive option too).

Try to Get Produce on the Clean Fifteen List if You’re Wanting to Save Money with Conventional Options

And this is the beauty of the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists. Instead of spending extra on organic everything, you can reserve your organic budget for the Dirty Dozen—the produce with the highest pesticide levels. For the Clean Fifteen, you can stick with conventional and still dramatically cut your exposure. Yes, 40% of Clean Fifteen items still contained some pesticides in EWG’s 2025 analysis. But you’re reducing your family’s overall pesticide load by making strategic choices where it matters most.

The 2025 Dirty Dozen List: Buy These Organic When Possible

Here are the 12 produce items with the highest pesticide levels, ranked from most to least contaminated:

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale, collard & mustard greens
4. Peaches
5. Pears
6. Nectarines
7. Apples
8. Grapes
9. Bell & hot peppers
10. Cherries
11. Blueberries
12. Green beans

The 2025 Clean Fifteen List: Safer to Buy Conventional

Here are the 15 produce items with the lowest likelihood of significant pesticide residue, with the cleanest being at the top of the list. You can feel better about buying these conventional:

1. Avocados
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapple
4. Onions
5. Papaya
6. Sweet peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Honeydew melon
9. Kiwi
10. Cabbage
11. Mushrooms
12. Mangoes
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Watermelon
15. Carrots

Save money on these produce items by sticking with conventional. Your pesticide exposure stays significantly lower while your grocery budget will thank you!

Your 5-Minute Dirty Dozen List Action Plan

So now that we know what is on the Dirty Dozen list and what is on the Clean Fifteen list, what exactly do we do with this information? It’s already hard enough to keep up with everything as it is!

Below are two ways you can easily use this information in your daily life and for the next time you go grocery shopping!

Action 1: Take a Phone Picture of Both Lists and Save Them in a Healthy Foods Photo Album (3 minutes)

1. Take a screenshot of both the Dirty Dozen list and the Clean Fifteen list.
2. Create a photo album on your phone called something like “Healthy Groceries” or “Low-toxic Food”.
3. Move your two screenshots to the new photo album you just created so you’ll always be able to find it easily.
4. If you want, don’t forget to bookmark this article for future reference if for some reason your phone loses your photos or some other equivalent inconvenience (I speak from unfortunate experience)!

I love storing helpful detail photos like this on my phone via photo albums so I know where to find them easily the next time I need them. You can skip scrolling through the hundreds of photos to find these helpful screenshots when using albums. Who wants to do all that endless scrolling every time you’re at the grocery store and already short on time and focus? Not me!

Trust me, you’ll thank yourself the next time you’re standing in the produce section trying to remember what was on those Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists!

Action 2: Print Your Own Copy of The Dirty Dozen List and the Clean Fifteen List (2 minutes)

For those of you who prefer hardcopy versions of information, this is for you!

1. Print out a pretty hardcopy of both of the lists here.
2. For both lists, circle the produce you and your family eat regularly. This helps you focus on only those produce on the list instead of getting overwhelmed with everything on the list.

I created different sizes for you in the download, so pick whichever one works best for you!

Create a Custom Produce List with the Free Simple Produce Priority Planner

If you’re wanting to strategically decide whether to buy organic or conventional, this simple guide will walk you through 3 easy steps that will help you create your very own custom produce list that considers both pesticides and budget!

Real-Life Scenarios

Scenario 1: Organic isn’t available at your store

This happens more often than we’d like to admit. Your options:

• Buy conventional and wash thoroughly, but understand this likely won’t remove all the pesticides
• Check the frozen section for organic alternatives, or
• Substitute with something from the Clean Fifteen list.

Scenario 2: Your budget is tight this month

Focus on the Clean Fifteen items, try to swap conventional versions of your priority Dirty Dozen items with frozen organic alternatives (frozen tends to be cheaper), and remember that financial stress is also bad for your health. Make the choice that works for your whole situation!

Scenario 3: You’re shopping with kids and need to move fast

Stick to your predetermined priority list. Don’t try to make complicated decisions with a 3-year-old melting down in the cart. Buy what you planned, wash it well at home, and call it a win.

Scenario 4: You have plans to eat at someone else’s home or at a restaurant

You have very little control here, and that’s completely fine. Maybe you can opt for healthier restaurants that serve organic produce or share your dietary preferences with whoever has invited you over for a meal. But this is honestly what I recommend: Enjoy the meal, enjoy the company, and return to your own choices when you’re back in your own kitchen. Life is too short to stress about things that are beyond our control. And at the end of the day, you’ve got to live your life!

What’s Next?

This Week’s Small Step

Before you move on from this article and go about your day, pick one small action you can take this week. Maybe it’s taking a screenshot of the Dirty Dozen list. Or maybe it’s checking the price of organic frozen berries at your store. Maybe it’s simply noticing which Dirty Dozen items are currently in your fridge.

Whatever you choose, remember that awareness is always the first step toward making better, more informed choices that align with your health goals!

Your Produce Plans Can Change: And That’s Totally Fine!

Your plan can change as your life changes. Tight budget month? Focus on the Clean Fifteen. Found a great sale on organic strawberries? Stock up. Moving to a new area with different store options? Reassess your strategy.

The dirty dozen list is a tool, not a rulebook. Use it in whatever way serves your family’s health, budget, and sanity.

What’s one small produce-related shift that feels manageable for you this week? Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s making informed choices that work with your real life.

References & Scientific Sources

Bretveld, R. W., Thomas, C. M., Scheepers, P. T., Zielhuis, G. A., & Roeleveld, N. (2006). Pesticide exposure: the hormonal function of the female reproductive system disrupted? Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-4-30

EWG Science Team. (2025, June 11). EWG’s 2025 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce^TM. Environmental Working Group (EWG). Retrieved June 29, 2025, from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Kumar, V., Sharma, N., Sharma, P., Pasrija, R., Kaur, K., Umesh, M., & Thazeem, B. (2023). Toxicity analysis of endocrine disrupting pesticides on non-target organisms: A critical analysis on toxicity mechanisms. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 474, 116623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2023.116623

Leemans, M., Couderq, S., Demeneix, B., & Fini, J. (2019). Pesticides with Potential Thyroid Hormone-Disrupting Effects: A Review of Recent data. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00743