🍎 What Is the “Dirty Dozen” ?
Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reviews USDA and FDA pesticide-testing data and publishes its Dirty Dozen™.
One important clarification: the Dirty Dozen is not simply a list of foods that are “sprayed the most.” It is EWG's ranking based on pesticide residues found on produce during government testing.
🛒 The 2026 Dirty Dozen
These are the 12 foods EWG currently recommends prioritizing for organic purchasing when possible:
Spinach
Kale, collard & mustard greens
Strawberries
Grapes
Nectarines
Peaches
Cherries
Apples
Blackberries
Pears
Potatoes
Blueberries
Does this mean conventional produce is dangerous?
No—and please don't stop eating fruits and vegetables because you can't afford organic.
The goal is to make informed choices without creating food anxiety.
If you have room in your grocery budget, you can prioritize organic versions of the Dirty Dozen. If you don't, buy the conventional produce, wash it, and eat it.
🚿 How I Recommend Washing Your Produce
First, the most important step is surprisingly simple:
Running water + rubbing the produce
The FDA recommends washing fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water. Firm produce, such as potatoes, can also be scrubbed with a clean produce brush.
But many people ask me:
“Dr. K, what about vinegar or baking soda?”
Here's where things get interesting.
🥄 Baking Soda Wash
Research has found that a baking-soda solution can help remove certain pesticide residues from the surface of produce. However, it cannot reliably remove pesticides that have already penetrated into the food.
For produce that can tolerate soaking, you can use:
About 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 cups of water.
Soak for approximately 10–15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly under clean running water.
This isn't a guarantee of pesticide-free produce—it is simply an additional washing step you can use.
🍎 Vinegar Wash
Vinegar is another popular produce-washing method.
You can make a simple solution using approximately:
1 part white vinegar + 3 parts water.
Soak or rinse the produce briefly, then rinse thoroughly with plain running water afterward.
Vinegar can be useful as a produce-cleaning step, particularly for reducing some surface microbes, but it shouldn't be presented as a method that reliably removes all pesticide residues.
⚠️ Don't Mix Vinegar + Baking Soda Together
This is one of my biggest tips.
People often combine them because they see all that fizzing and think:
“Look! It's cleaning!”
Not necessarily.
Vinegar is acidic and baking soda is alkaline. When mixed together, they react and largely neutralize each other.
If you want to use them, use one method or the other—not both together in the same bowl.
And please skip the dish soap, detergent and bleach. The FDA does not recommend washing fruits and vegetables with soap or detergent.
🫐 What About Berries?
Berries require a little more care because they're delicate.
Don't aggressively scrub your strawberries, blueberries or blackberries.
Instead, remove any spoiled berries, gently rinse them under cool running water and dry them carefully.
If you're using a vinegar solution, rinse the berries thoroughly afterward.
And unless you're intentionally washing berries before eating or prepping them for storage, keeping them dry until you're ready to use them can help prevent premature spoilage.
💰 Dr. K's Grocery Strategy
Here's how I would approach this without doubling your grocery bill:
DIRTY DOZEN?👉 Consider organic when it's available and fits your budget.
Not on the Dirty Dozen?👉 Don't automatically pay extra just because the word “organic” is on the package.
Organic unavailable or too expensive?👉 Buy conventional, wash it thoroughly and eat your fruits and vegetables anyway.
Frozen organic fruits and vegetables can also be worth comparing. Sometimes they're significantly cheaper than fresh organic produce and they last much longer.
🥑 And Don't Forget the Clean Fifteen
EWG's 2026 Clean Fifteen™ includes:
Pineapple • Sweet corn • Avocados • Papaya • Onions • Frozen sweet peas • Asparagus • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Watermelon • Mangoes • Bananas • Carrots • Mushrooms • Kiwi
These rank lower for pesticide residues in EWG's analysis, so this is one place where you may decide to save your organic dollars.
👩🏾⚕️ Dr. K's 2 Cents
Healthy eating shouldn't require fear—or a Whole Foods paycheck.
Be strategic.
Prioritize organic where you think it's worthwhile. Wash your produce. Don't assume “organic” automatically means pesticide-free. And don't let fear about pesticides cause you to eat fewer fruits and vegetables.
The goal isn't perfection.
The goal is making better choices consistently.
Stay healthy,
Elizabeth Kolawole, MD
Family Medicine
Prosper Direct Primary Care Prosper DPC
Educational information only and not individualized medical advice. The Dirty Dozen™ and Clean Fifteen™ are rankings produced by the Environmental Working Group and are not government safety classifications.
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