What is the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list in fruits and vegetables?
You may have seen the "Dirty Dozen" list for fruits and vegetables published each year, but where does this information come from and should you be worried?
Answer: The use of pesticides in the production of fruits and vegetables, and the resulting amounts of pesticide
residue that are allowed on fruit is closely regulated in the USA. The “Dirty dozen” list claims to provide information on which produce items have the most pesticide residues as a guide to consumers. However, these claims are misleading and overstate and distort the risk of eating these produce items.
Quick take: Small amounts of pesticide residue may be present on both conventional and organic produce. Regulations on the amount of residues that are allowed are set to protect human health such that even regular consumption of fresh produce should not result in negative risk to human health.
Want more information?
See a full explanation here in our blog post here: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/crops-commercial-horticulture/horticulture/ar-fruit-veg-nut-update-blog/posts/dirtydozen.aspx