Agriculture Advocates Skewer Latest ‘Dirty Dozen’ Produce Report

Spring has sprung. And along with the change of season comes the annual release of Environmental Working Group’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.” The organization’s report comprises 12 fruits and vegetables found to be most contaminated with pesticides, reportedly based on USDA data. In addition, EWG’s report also highlights what it calls the “Clean Fifteen,” produce that tested low in concentrations of pesticide residues. News of the annual report’s release is always picked up and distributed by mainstream media. This year is no different. Also the same for 2026 is the effort put forth by produce industry advocates to help set the record straight amid the mixed messages.

In response to the latest “Dirty Dozen” report, the Alliance for Food and Farming released a statement. Here is a portion:

The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) “Dirty Dozen” report once again villainizes safe, healthy, and affordable fruits and vegetables by misrepresenting USDA pesticide data.

A flawed approach

In its usual approach, EWG overstates the risk of consumer pesticide exposure by leaving out a key detail: more than 99% of the commodities sampled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its annual Pesticide Data Program (PDP) report (the source material for the EWG report) have residues well below the stringent safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EWG has attempted to justify the methodology used by comparing pesticide levels in various foods with those in the urine of people who ate those foods. However, this new approach is riddled with errors and data manipulation.

USDA reports have consistently shown over the years that the latest report demonstrates that the vast majority of the commodities sampled had residues well below the established EPA safety standards, and more than 42% had no detectable residues.

The PDP tests a wide variety of both domestic and imported foods with a strong focus on those commonly fed to infants and children. Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables made up 92.8% of the 9.872 tested samples, including: apples, avocados, blackberries (fresh and frozen), cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, onions, oranges, pineapples (fresh and frozen), potatoes, canned pumpkin, sweet corn (fresh and frozen), and tomatillos.

These data are further supported by FDA’s latest Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report and its new Pesticide Report Data Dashboard.

The USDA and FDA reports clearly demonstrate that, when farmers use pesticides, they follow the stringent laws and regulations governing pesticide use to provide safe and healthy fruits and vegetables for America’s families, including their own.

Consumers are negatively impacted

The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) has previously pointed out that peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Toxicology found that the recommendation in the “Dirty Dozen” list to substitute organic forms of produce for conventional does not result in any decrease in risk for consumers because residues on conventionally grown produce are so low, if present at all.

The EWG openly states that one goal of its Dirty Dozen report is to drive consumers toward organic produce, which costs significantly more than conventionally grown produce, and offers equal health benefits. It is well known and widely accepted that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a keystone of healthy nutrition. Studies have shown, however, that lower-income and cost-conscious consumers do not respond to the EWG report by purchasing only organic products: instead, they are increasingly likely to avoid fruits and vegetables altogether.

In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 1 in 10 Americans consumes enough fruits and vegetables each day, unchanged from previous survey levels reported almost a decade ago. The report states that those living below or near the poverty level were the least likely to meet produce recommendations. 

Click here to read the full statement.

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