Kori Barnes 
Now that I’m in the real world as a young adult, it’s my responsibility to grocery shop and take care of myself. However, the economy has definitely changed for the Gen Z era that I’ve grown up in with my peers. Since the devastating 2008 economic crash, the U.S. hasn’t been at the same level since unemployment, grocery prices, and more have continuously begun to increase.
Not only have “eating out” prices increased, but the cost of shopping for groceries is basically equivalent to the same amount. Now there’s more cause for concern if citizens are attempting to eat more healthy and go out less. Twelve key foods have been identified as more likely to carry pesticide residue. I was shocked to find out that one of my favorite fruits and vegetables rank as the dirtiest produce on the 2023 Dirty Dozen from the Environmental Working Group: strawberries and spinach.
The 12 food items on the “2023 Dirty Dozen List” are: strawberries, spinach, kale/collard greens/mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell peppers and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans.
According to bhg.com, “… kale, collard greens, and mustard greens had up to 103 different pesticides on them, the most of any crop, and a whopping 101 pesticides were detected on hot peppers and bell peppers. Blueberries and green beans are new additions to the Dirty Dozen list in 2023, coming in at 11th and 12th on the list, respectively. Nearly 80% of blueberry samples contained two or more pesticides, EWG reports, and more than 70% of green beans had at least two pesticides on them, with a combined 84 different pesticides found on the entire crop.”
The 12 food items on the “2023 Dirty Dozen List” are: strawberries, spinach, kale/collard greens/mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell peppers and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans.
The 15 food items on the “2023 Clean Fifteen List” are avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, watermelon, carrots.
Although this news doesn’t mean you have to completely cut these healthy items out of your diet, it is extremely important to thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables to decrease the risk of consuming pesticides. According to bhg.com, “Alongside the Dirty Dozen, EWG also provides a Clean Fifteen list each year. The list shows which fruits and veggies had the lowest amount of pesticide residues. This year, avocados and sweet corn took the top two spots on the Clean Fifteen list, with less than 2% of samples showing any detectable pesticide residues. Almost 65% of the samples of produce on the Clean Fifteen list showed no detectable pesticide residue at all.” The 15 food items on the “2023 Clean Fifteen List” are avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, watermelon, carrots.
If you’re like myself and do your own grocery shopping now, definitely keep these items in mind when purchasing food. Visit the Food and Drug Administration website and Clean Eating magazine for tips on how to properly clean your produce.
By Kori Barnes, University of Southern California
Instagram: @korixnicole
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