03/27/2026
Best way to protect you and your family?
1. Buy local - know your farmer.
2. Buy certified organic. USA better than foreign.
3. Hydroponic is allowed to be called “organic” — but may not actually be.
The 2026 Dirty Dozen list has come out and it's not looking good. Of the 47 fruits and vegetables analyzed from USDA data, nearly 100% were contaminated with toxic pesticides, some of them known carcinogens. The top three... 1. Spinach 2. Kale 3. Strawberries. The other most contaminated? 4. Grapes 5. Nectarines 6. Peaches 7. Cherries 8. Apples 9. Blackberries 10. Pears 11. Potatoes 12. Blueberries.
Many of these fruits are kids' favorite to eat. Keep in mind that children are at a higher risk for health effects from pesticide exposure than adults due to their developing and maturing internal organs. The EPA's tolerance levels for pesticides aren't really protective to begin with. But add the glaring fact that the EPA does not consider the effects of chronic exposures to multiple pesticides. Emerging science is showing that a cocktail of pesticides, which is how we are all exposed in the real world, could be exponentially more toxic than each pesticide on its own. Also consider that the USDA does not test for some of the most widely used pesticides, such as glyphosate. So the number of pesticides found is likely an undercount.
To reduce your exposure to toxic synthetic pesticides, buy certified biodynamic or certified organic as much as possible. Be well.
