This morning, an embargoed release reveals the list of the unsafest produce—and, the safest—based on scientific analysis.
One loose rule of thumb is that if you want to buy produce that’s been least treated with chemicals, look for the fruits and veggies that you have to peel to eat.
That makes sense, but it’s not a perfect guideline—especially when governmental regulations on our food have changed seemingly overnight. While the current administration messaged its efforts to double-down on food safety (while certain dye bans were actually previously announced), in reality, some consumer protections against use of harmful chemicals in U.S. farming have been rolled back in recent weeks.
So what’s actually the safest to eat, when you’re considering the degree of chemical contamination? As they’ve done every year since 2004, the independent consumer advocacy agency Environmental Working Group (EWG) has officially released their 2026 report. They say: “The 2026 edition analyzed USDA residue data from 54,344 samples of 47 fruits and vegetables, detecting 264 pesticides and breakdown products.” This year’s report reveals some new trends, as 2025 was the first year the group “strengthened its methodology to incorporate pesticide toxicity, alongside the number and levels of residues.”
Here are the “dirtiest,” starting with the one the EWG reports “has more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce.” Those with an asterisk (*) were new to the list this year:
- Spinach
- Kale, collard, and mustard greens
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Apples
- Blackberries*
- Pears
- Potatoes*
- Blueberries
Many of these contained chemicals linked with cancer or neurological issues. Also, many are banned in the European Union, where food safety regulations are among the most sophisticated in the world.
On spinach, the EWG reports, “Seventy-six percent of the samples contained residues of permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide. Since 2000, Europe has not permitted any permethrin to be used on food crops.”
The EWG calls potatoes “the most-consumed vegetable in the U.S.,” but heads-up if you can’t resist eating them mashed, baked, or fried: even after washing and scrubbing, 90% of potato samples reportedly turned up with residue of chlorprofam, a possible hormone disruptor.
Safer produce with “the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data” were listed as the following:
- Pineapples
- Sweet corn
- Avocados
- Papaya
- Onion
- Frozen sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Watermelon
- Mangoes
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Kiwi
To minimize your chemical exposure, the solution is not to stop eating produce—you need those vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Peeling every single fruit or vegetable is also not ideal, since edible peels often contain the greatest concentration of nutrients in a given produce item.
Knowing how to wash produce the most effective way can help (a vinegar formulation is often used in European kitchens). Also wash the produce whose skin you remove—think avocados, pineapples, and watermelon—so that you’re not introducing toxins from the peel whenever you slice in.
Purchasing local produce when possible is one way to help ensure you’re ruling out chemicals that are used to preserve food for long-haul transport and storage. And, perhaps most importantly, contact your representatives in Congress and the Senate to tell them you want safe farming measures. As the word “pesticide” implies, many of these chemicals are applied to keep pests from eating the harvest—but arguably, the chemicals used to control them can bear worse consequences. Environmental protections are where health can literally start at the ground-level.
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