Nonprofit examines public info about pesticide residue.

Strawberries are the dirtiest of the Environmental Working Group’s 2018 Dirty Dozen list, the third year the fruit has taken the top dishonor. Each year, EWG releases this list to make it easier to avoid pesticide residue. Although fruits and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet, the pesticides left behind on conventionally grown produce can affect health in subtle ways. EWG is a nonprofit group that uses public information to protect public health and the environment.

The Dirty Dozen list is part of the annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, an analysis of tests on produce by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This year, EWG also released a video (above) that explains how the list is created and why certain fruits and vegetables frequently end up on the Dirty Dozen list while others consistently land at the bottom of the list, what the organization calls the Clean Fifteen.