Pesticides on Produce: What the Consumer Reports Reveals
- M. DuBose
- 9 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Eating more fruit and vegetables remains one of the clearest ways to improve public health, but recent Consumer Reports (CR) analysis shows that the benefits coexist with measurable, concentrated pesticide risk in a small set of commonly eaten crops.
Today, we are going to discuss three Consumer Reports recent articles: Produce Without Pesticides - Consumer Reports, 6 Fruits and Vegetables Loaded With Pesticides - Consumer Reports, and How to Protect Yourself From Pesticides in Produce - Consumer Reports. This way we can discuss a clear, actionable path for consumers, food industry, communicators, and policy makers understanding pesticides in our food, to what vegetable you might want to shy away from, and how to protect yourself.
What the data reveals:
CR analyzed nearly 30,000 USDA-tested samples across 62 fruits and vegetables, applied a precautionary toxicity-weighted method, and found that roughly 20% of the foods present significant pesticide-related risk while most foods are minimal risk.
Risk is highly concentrated: a handful of crops (notably berries, bell peppers, green beans, potatoes, and some leafy greens) account for an outsized share of the highest risk samples.
Imports: especially from certain trade partners, appear disproportionately in the riskiest samples, and some detections reflect residues of chemicals long banned for food use in the U.S., signaling either contamination, illegal use, or persistent environmental residues
Consumer Reports outlines that 71 of the 100 highest‑risk samples were imports and that 57 of the 100 individual fruit and vegetable samples with the highest pesticide‑risk scores were traced to Mexico: most involved frozen strawberries and green beans.
All three CR articles emphasize that the pattern is not random: a few compounds and a few crops drive the large majority of dietary residue risk.
CR’s analysis highlights a deeper issue: the continued use of two pesticide classes, organophosphates and carbamates, responsible for most of the dietary risk. Despite bans on some chemicals, others with similar toxic profiles remain in use.
CR urges the EPA to ban all food uses of these two pesticide classes. “The vast majority of fruits and vegetables eaten in the U.S. are already grown without hazardous pesticides,” says Brian Ronholm, CR’s head of food policy. “We just don’t need them.”
Five Steps Consumers Can Take:
1. Prioritize organic for the highest-risk items. If your budget is limited, allocate organic purchases to the crops CR identified as highest risk (e.g., blackberries, blueberries, bell peppers, green beans, potatoes, kale/mustard greens) because the difference in residue risk in conventional vs organic imported crops is that conventional crops have a much higher percentage of pesticides.
While we are not advocating for organic over conventional produce, it's important to note that certain high-risk foods, such as strawberries, green beans, and blackberries, often show elevated pesticide residues in U.S. testing. This is largely due to the fact that imported organic options for these items are less common, resulting in a higher proportion of conventional produce imports in the supply chain.
Choose low-risk conventional substitutes when possible. Many commonly eaten items (broccoli, snap peas, sweet potatoes, lettuce) scored very low in CR’s analysis and are safe choices to keep your plate diverse and affordable.
Use the simplest, evidence-backed preparation practices: rinse produce under cold running water for 15–20 seconds and scrub firm items with a soft brush; special washes are unnecessary and sometimes ineffective.
4Be strategic, not fearful: peeling reduces some residues but also removes nutrients; canned or frozen forms vary in risk depending on the item; label claims like “pesticide-free” are not regulated, so look for USDA Organic when you want assurance.
Ask questions at markets and support procurement programs (schools, hospitals, food service) that demand lower‑residue sourcing for high-risk items to amplify market incentives for safer production.
CR spotlighted six fruits and vegetables that consistently rank high for pesticide risk:
Blackberries: Especially imported ones, due to Methamidophos residues.
Blueberries: Domestic samples often contain Phosmet, a pesticide risk for children.
Bell Peppers: Nearly, half of domestic samples had Oxamyl, a carbamate pesticide.
Potatoes: Chlorpropham is frequently used to prevent sprouting. Chlorpropham was found on nearly all samples.
Green Beans: Contaminated with banned organophosphates like acephate.
Kale and Mustard Greens: Contain a cocktail of fungicides and insecticides, including chlorpyrifos.
Consumers can also reference the Consumer Reports Produce Ratings 2025 guide as a valuable resource when selecting fruits and vegetables at local markets and grocery stores.
Policy and supply‑chain levels that would multiply benefits:
Shift regulatory focus from banning single active ingredients to addressing hazardous classes (e.g., organophosphates and carbamates) so industry cannot simply substitute another chemically similar, harmful pesticide, CR’s data shows these are the main drivers of dietary risk.
Increase targeted import monitoring and enforcement on high‑risk commodities and origins; detections of banned‑substance residues on imports indicate the need for stronger overseas cooperation and inspection priorities.
Use institutional procurement (school meals, hospitals, government purchasing) as a demand signal for lower‑residue and organic options, coupled with technical and financial support to help farmers transition to integrated pest management and safer alternatives.
Invest in dedicated organic packing and storage infrastructure where cross-contamination has been an issue; CR notes reductions in certain residues when organic supply chains are segregated and supported.
Why this matters for health and equity
The pesticides most implicated (organophosphates and carbamates) include neurotoxic and endocrine‑disrupting compounds that are particularly concerning for developing children and pregnant women, increasing the stakes for families and communities with limited access to lower‑residue options.
Economic reality matters: buying all organic is not feasible for many households, and pushing people away from produce would be counterproductive. Instead, the data supports targeted choices that protect vulnerable groups while preserving intake of nutrient-rich foods.
The importer/production gap raises global equity issues: farmers in exporting countries may face pressures (pest pressures, buyer specifications, limited access to safer alternatives) that lead to higher‑risk practices, which in turn shifts health burdens onto U.S. consumers who rely on those supply chains.
Communicators and trainers should frame information.
Lead with benefits, then prioritize risk: emphasize that the health advantages of fruits and vegetables are large, and then give a short, ranked list of “buy organic if you can” items plus low-risk alternates to avoid confusion and diet drop‑off.
Offer one‑page decision tools for shoppers and procurement officers: a ranked table of the top twenty commonly purchased items, whether to buy organic, suggested preparation, and a budget-friendly swap for each high‑risk item.
Tailor messages for equity: produce‑preserving advice for low-income audiences should focus on low‑cost, low‑residue options, food‑prep techniques, and how to use institutional resources (WIC, school meals) to access safer produce.
The Consumer Reports work gives us both a clearer problem statement and an actionable strategy: the pesticide risk is real, but narrowly concentrated; individual shoppers can reduce exposure through targeted organic purchases and simple prep steps; and the largest gains will come from policy, procurement, and market shifts that remove the most hazardous chemical classes and support farmers’ transitions. Acting across these fronts preserves access to fruits and vegetables while reducing preventable chemical exposures, a balanced path that protects both public health and food safety.
You can add your voice: Consumer Reports is collecting signatures on a petition calling for the EPA to ban the most dangerous pesticide classes responsible for much of this risk, you can sign the petition on the Consumer Reports site.