By Press Release

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) today released its 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, finding ongoing widespread pesticide residue on popular non-organic fruits and vegetables — including pesticides that are the “forever chemicals” known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The guide analyzes the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) testing data, finding that 75% of non-organic, or conventionally grown, produce samples contained pesticide residues.

The most frequently detected pesticide across all fruits and vegetables was fludioxonil, a PFAS fungicide linked to some potential health concerns. Three of the 10 most detected pesticides meet the internationally recognized definition of PFAS.

“Consumers have a right to know what’s on their food,” said EWG Science Analyst Varun Subramaniam. “This year’s findings underscore the presence of PFAS pesticides in the food supply. At the same time, the guide shows there are simple steps shoppers can take to reduce exposure while still eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.”

The Clean Fifteen

EWG’s 2026 Clean Fifteen identifies the conventionally grown produce with the lowest pesticide levels. Pineapple, sweet corn and avocados top this year’s list, followed by papaya and onions.

Other Clean Fifteen items include frozen sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, watermelon, mangoes, bananas, carrots, mushrooms and kiwi.

Key findings:

• Nearly 60% of Clean Fifteen samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
• Only 16% had residues of two or more pesticides.
• The top items also ranked among the lowest for overall pesticide toxicity.

The Dirty Dozen

EWG’s 2026 Dirty Dozen highlights the produce with the highest pesticide contamination, based on the number, amount and toxicity of detected pesticide residues.

At the top of this year’s Dirty Dozen list are spinach, kale, collard and mustard greens, followed by strawberries, grapes and nectarines.

Blackberries, newly tested in recent years, carried an average of more than four pesticides per sample. Ninety percent of potatoes contained chlorpropham, a sprout inhibitor banned in the European Union due to health concerns.

Key findings:

• 96% of Dirty Dozen samples contained pesticides.
• A total of 203 different pesticides were detected on these crops.
• PFAS pesticides appeared on 63% of Dirty Dozen samples.
• Most items had an average of four or more pesticides per sample.

New questions about PFAS pesticides

Residue of the PFAS pesticide fludioxonil was found in 14% of all produce samples and in nearly 90% of peaches and plums. Two other PFAS pesticides, fluopyram and bifenthrin, were also among the 10 most frequently detected chemicals.

PFAS chemicals are highly persistent in the environment. Ultra-short-chain PFAS such as trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, are increasingly detected in water, soil and people. Early research suggests TFA may accumulate in crops and pose potential reproductive and developmental risks, though significant data gaps remain.

Regulators typically assess pesticides one at a time, even though consumers are regularly exposed to mixtures of multiple crop chemicals at once. Animal studies indicate that combined exposures can be more harmful than individual chemicals alone.

Health and consumer guidance

Peer-reviewed studies link pesticide exposure to hormone disruption, nervous system harm and reproductive effects.

Some research suggests that consuming produce with high pesticide residues may diminish the cardiovascular and fertility benefits typically associated with fruit and vegetable intake.

Children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure during pregnancy and early life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, requires extra safety protections for children, but EWG research has found that regulators often fail to apply these safeguards consistently.

EWG emphasizes that the Shopper’s Guide is designed to encourage produce consumption of plenty of fruits and vegetables, regardless of if they are conventional or organic, not deter it.

“A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is essential,” said EWG Associate Scientist Dayna de Montagnac. “The Shopper’s Guide empowers families to continue enjoying these significant health benefits while making informed choices to reduce pesticide exposure, particularly for children, without sacrificing nutrition.”

EWG recommends:

• Buying organic versions of the Dirty Dozen produce when possible.
• Choosing conventional options from the Clean Fifteen.
• Considering frozen produce as an affordable alternative.
• Washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.

Some good news

Produce pesticide residue levels of a neurotoxic class of insecticides, known as organophosphates, have fallen sharply since EWG first published the Shopper’s Guide. That represents a major win for children’s health, given these chemicals’ links to harm to the developing brain and nervous system.

But organophosphates haven’t vanished. Recent federal data show organophosphate residues still appearing on some produce. USDA tests from 2021-2022 found acephate on green beans despite its 2011 ban on that crop, and residues have also been detected on blueberries and, most recently, blackberries imported from Mexico.

Still, the dramatic decline in organophosphate use is real progress. But their continued presence on produce, and growing concerns about the insecticides that replaced them, pyrethroids and neonicotinoids, highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and a shift to safer farming practices.

About the guide

EWG has published the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce nearly every year since 2004. The 2026 edition analyzed USDA residue data from 54,344 samples of 47 fruits and vegetables, detecting 264 pesticides and breakdown products.

In 2025, EWG strengthened its methodology to incorporate pesticide toxicity, alongside the number and levels of residues. Details were published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.

Originally published by Environmental Working Group.

The post PFAS Pesticide Residue Found on 96% of ‘Dirty Dozen’ Fruits and Vegetables appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.

 

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