The Dirty Dozen, not so dirty? Investigation finds low toxin levels in list of foods to avoid

15 Mar 2023 --- The annual “Dirty Dozen” list by the US Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been investigated and found to lack scientific-backed claims of containing toxins. The list is said to be used as guidelines to substitute organic forms of produce. However, the findings demonstrate that following the list does not result in any decreased risk for consumers. 

Published in the Journal of Toxicology, the study reads, “all pesticide exposure estimates were well below established chronic reference doses,” and points out that the list follows no scientifically established methodology.

“Consumers can and should disregard these types of lists,” says Dr. Sylvia Klinger, founder of Hispanic Food Communications – serving on the Alliance for Food and Farmings (AFF) management board.

“Simply follow the advice of dietitians and health experts and choose the fruits and vegetables that you enjoy that are affordable and accessible for you and your family, but choose to eat more every day for better health and a longer life,” Klinger continues.

The PDP says, 99% of sampled foods contain toxins below safety standards.Implications for health
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP), 99% of sampled foods contain toxins below safety standards, and 25% were completely free from residues. 

“Based on the PDP data, consumers can feel confident about eating a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables,” says the USDA.

The authors of the Dirty Dozen say that it lacks risk assessment and doesn’t apply basic tenets of toxicology when developing the list. The list contains strawberries, spinach, celery, blueberries, peaches, apples, nectarines, bell peppers, potatoes, cherries, kale and imported grapes.

The results found that the reference doses were more than 1000 times higher than the exposure estimates in more than 90% of the comparisons. 

“Such findings suggest that the potential consumer risks from exposure to the most frequently detected pesticides on the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list of foods are negligible and cast doubts about how consumers avoiding conventional forms of such produce items are improving their health status,” reads the study.

Furthermore, another recent study showed that low-income grocery shoppers’ attitudes toward fruit and vegetables depended on recommendations, as messages from the EWG and other groups impact consumers’ choices.

Tactics of fear
Fear-based messaging might decrease the number of fruits and vegetables consumed, which has adverse effects, as eating less produce might increase the risk of several chronic diseases. The AFF found that 94% of dietitians comment that the Dirty Dozen list negatively affects consumer choices.

“Consuming fruits and vegetables can help decrease chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These fear tactics used in the ‘Dirty Dozen’ report are hurting consumers, especially the vulnerable populations, and may lead consumers to eat even less produce,” says Klinger.

The study notes, “while conventional produce was between 2.9 and 4.8 times more likely to contain detectable pesticide residues than organic produce, samples of organic produce frequently contained residues. The PDP data indicated that 23% of organic food samples tested positive for pesticide residues.”

Reaching the daily intakeDietitians comment on the Dirty Dozen list as that it negatively affects consumer choices.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says to be confident that “the fruits and vegetables our children are eating are safer than ever. EPA evaluates new and existing pesticides to ensure that they can be used with a reasonable certainty of no harm to infants, children and adults. EPA continually reviews and improves safety standards that apply to pesticide residues on food.”

The Center for Disease Control previously reported that one in ten Americans are reaching the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, and the amount decreased closer to those living on the line of poverty.

The US Food and Drug Administration says that washing fruits and vegetables in water often removes residues if present.

“Consumer exposures to the ten most frequently detected pesticides on EWG’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ commodity list are at negligible levels, and the EWG methodology is insufficient to allow any meaningful rankings among commodities.”

Edited by Beatrice Wihlander