Mindful Eating This Summer: What to Know About the 2025 Clean Fifteen & Dirty Dozen
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables, but it’s also a great time to be mindful of how that produce is grown.
Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, highlighting two key lists:
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- The Dirty Dozen: the fruits and vegetables most likely to carry high levels of pesticide residues
- The Clean Fifteen: produce with the lowest levels of pesticide contamination
In 2025, the guide goes a step further, taking into account not just how much pesticide was found, but how toxic those chemicals are.
What the 2025 Report Reveals
The EWG analyzed over 53,000 USDA tests on 47 different types of produce. The results are eye-opening:
- Over 75% of non-organic fruits and vegetables tested had traces of pesticide residues.
- Blackberries and potatoes were added to this year’s Dirty Dozen due to concerning levels of contamination.
Here’s why that matters:
- Blackberries: 93% of samples tested had pesticide residues, many containing up to four different chemicals. One of the most common was cypermethrin, a pesticide that may cross the placenta and impact fetal brain development. It’s also classified as a possible carcinogen.
- Potatoes: Over 90% contained chlorpropham, a chemical used to prevent sprouting in storage. Though still used in the U.S., this pesticide is banned in the European Union due to health risks, including thyroid disruption in animal studies.
The Clean Fifteen: Safer Picks When Buying Non-Organic
If buying all organic produce isn’t feasible, the Clean Fifteen list can help you make better choices. These are non-organic fruits and vegetables with little to no detectable pesticide residue. And while washing your produce thoroughly is always a good idea, these are safer bets when organic options aren’t available.
What You Can Do
We can’t always control what’s in our food system, but we can make more informed choices. Here’s how:
- Buy organic when possible, especially for items on the Dirty Dozen list.
- Use the EWG guide as a practical tool at the grocery store or farmer’s market.
- Wash your produce thoroughly, even if it’s on the Clean Fifteen list.
The growing awareness around chemical exposure in our food is making headlines—and for good reason. Groups have pointed to pesticides as potential contributors to rising childhood chronic diseases. While policy changes may be slow, we can each take simple steps to protect our health today.
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