Do you want to reduce pesticides on your plate? It can help to know which conventionally grown fruits and vegetables tend to have the highest and lowest levels of pesticides. This table is based on the results of nearly forty-three thousand tests for pesticides on produce collected by the USDA and the FDA between 2000 and 2004. Items are ranked from worst (highest pesticide load) to best (lowest pesticide load).
Source: Environmental Working Group at http://www.foodnews.org.
| Rank | Fruit or Vegetable | Score |
| 1 |
Peaches |
100 |
| 2 |
Apples |
89 |
| 3 |
Sweet bell peppers |
86 |
| 4 |
Celery |
85 |
| 5 |
Nectarines |
84 |
| 6 |
Strawberries |
82 |
| 7 |
Cherries |
75 |
| 8 |
Pears |
65 |
| 9 |
Grapes, imported |
65 |
| 10 |
Spinach |
60 |
| 11 |
Lettuce |
59 |
| 12 |
Potatoes |
58 |
| 13 |
Carrots |
57 |
| 14 |
Green beans |
53 |
| 15 |
Hot peppers |
53 |
| 16 |
Cucumbers |
52 |
| 17 |
Raspberries |
47 |
| 18 |
Plums |
45 |
| 19 |
Grapes, domestic |
43 |
| 20 |
Oranges |
42 |
| 21 |
Grapefruit |
40 |
| 22 |
Tangerine |
38 |
| 23 |
Mushrooms |
37 |
| 24 |
Cantaloupe |
34 |
| 25 |
Honeydew melon |
31 |
| 26 |
Tomatoes |
30 |
| 27 |
Sweet potatoes |
30 |
| 28 |
Watermelon |
28 |
| 29 |
Winter squash |
27 |
| 30 |
Cauliflower |
27 |
| 31 |
Blueberries |
24 |
| 32 |
Papaya |
21 |
| 33 |
Broccoli |
18 |
| 34 |
Cabbage |
17 |
| 35 |
Bananas |
16 |
| 36 |
Kiwi |
14 |
| 37 |
Sweet peas, frozen |
11 |
| 38 |
Asparagus |
11 |
| 39 |
Pineapples |
7 |
| 40 |
Winter squash |
27 |
| 41 |
Sweet corn, frozen |
2 |
| 42 |
Avocado |
1 |
| 43 |
Onions |
1 |