An annual report
The EWG report, issued yearly since 2004, uses US Department of Agriculture test data to rank 46 foods that are the most and least contaminated with pesticide residues. The agency prepares the food as consumers would â washing, peeling or scrubbing â before testing each item. The USDA does not sample all 46 foods each year, so EWG pulls results from the most recent testing period.
A new entry on this year's list was collard greens and mustard greens, which joined kale in the No. 3 spot. Tests found these vegetables often contained the pesticide DCPA, classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen. It was banned by the European Union in 2009.