2025 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Food Lists for Pesticides

Each year testing determines the cleanest or most pesticide sprayed foods. I like to look at these lists as they influence what I buy and where, organic vs nonorganic, and what I will prioritise growing. 

Why bother? 

Pesticides damage our health. And in-utero babies, infants and young children are especially at risk. Serious long-term effects associated with particular pesticides that are found in our food, include endocrine or hormonal disruption, cancer, immune system suppression, nervous system damage, genetic damage and birth defects.

A 2022 study found NZ children had high levels of chlorpyrifos, a brain-damaging organophosphate banned in 39 countries (1). It is found in a wide range of food in NZ including baby food, grapes, berries, peanut butter, anything containing wheat, tomatoes, avocados, pears, mandarins and various green vegetables (2).

Chlorpyrifos in food is unsafe for ALL POPULATIONS, concludes a US EPA reassessment of the insecticide in 2016 (3). This is especially so for children aged 1–2 years old, with exposure levels 14,000% above the safety threshold for food. A ban on chlorpyrifos, presented to parliament in February 2023, is still not being given priority by our Environmental Protection Agency. 

Did you know?

Kale has multiple residues of pesticide, 39 different ones in fact. 

Also, in non-organic baby food 32% had a total of 21 pesticides! Which is worrying if children are most at risk. 

Issues with analysis of various foods

A number of foods have been excluded simply because no data has been produced by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). Plums, mandarins, raspberries and lettuce were in previous dirty dozen lists, but because they have not been analysed since before 2009, it is unsure what the residues are like now. 

NZ’s Dirty Dozen 2025

Safe Food (5)

The dirty dozen list will change if the government is able to increase the amount of carcinogenic glyphosphate herbicide being sprayed onto food by 60-100x. This agrichemical is a key component of pesticides like Roundup. It is currently being considered to have its levels dramatically increased by the New Zealand Food Safety. 

Specifically:

MPI wants to dramatically increase the allowable glyphosate residue in these foods:

Wheat, oats, barley: from 0.1 to 10 mg/kg

Field peas (dried): from 0.1 to 6 mg/kg

To learn more about the dangers of this, check out this article.

USA’s Clean Fifteen 2025

Its difficult to find a NZ list of these that is current, so I’ve based this on a list from the USA. Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzes the most recent USDA data to compile its Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists. Generally, the foods that you find on this list have harder exteriors or skin that protect the inside somewhat. 

The foods are listed from most clean to less. Pineapple, sweet corn, avocado, papaya, onions, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, watermelon, cauliflower, bananas, mangoes, carrots, mushrooms, kiwi. 

Does this information inspire you to invest in your health by buying organic, or growing your own fruit and vegetables? What changes can you make within your means? Starting somewhere is the key!

References:

1. Li 2022: Li, Y., Wang, X., McKenzie, J. F., Mannetje, A. T., Cheng, S., He, C., ... & Douwes, J. (2022). Pesticide exposure in New Zealand school-aged children: Urinary concentrations of biomarkers and assessment of determinants. Environment International, 163, 107206. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001325

2. TDS 2016: Pearson, A., Gibbs, M., Lau, K., Edmonds, J., Alexander, D., & Nicolas, J. (2018). 2016 New Zealand total diet study. Ministry for Primary Industries (New Zealand);  

FRSPs 2015-2019: FRSP infants: Food Residue Survey Programmes, Ministry for Primary Industries NZ.

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-business/food-monitoring-surveillance/food-residues-surveyprogramme/documents-for-food-residues-survey-programme/

3. USEPA 2016: Britton et al (2016) Chlorpyrifos: Revised Human Health Risk Assessment for Registration Review. EPA https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0653-0454 

4.  NZ government surveys: 2009 New Zealand Total Diet Study, NZ Food Residue Surveillance Programmes 2009-2012, all available at www.nzfsa.govt.nz. Results from several years were combined to produce sample sizes that were more robust for analysis. Note that wheat samples included bread, biscuits, bran flake cereal, cake, noodles, fish fingers, battered fish, meat pies, muffins, pasta, pizza, sausages, cereal wheat biscuits.

FRSP infants 2016: Survey of agricultural compound residues in commercial foods for infants and young children https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-business/food-monitoring-surveillance/food-residues-survey-programme/documents-for-food-residues-survey-programme/ 

5. NZ Dirty Dozen. Safe Food Campaign NZ. https://www.safefood.org.nz/nz-dirty-dozen