Are Plums On The Dirty Dozen List? | The 2025 Answer

No—plums aren’t on EWG’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list of 12 highest-ranked produce for pesticide residues.

You’re probably asking because plums feel like a “spray-prone” fruit. They have thin skin, they bruise easily, and they’re often eaten raw. So it’s normal to wonder if plums land in that annual top-12 list that gets shared everywhere.

Here’s the clean answer, then the nuance that helps you shop with less second-guessing. EWG’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list does not include plums. The 2025 list includes items like spinach, strawberries, grapes, peaches, nectarines, apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, and potatoes—plums aren’t named in the 12. That means, under EWG’s scoring for that year, plums didn’t rank in the “top 12” for the metrics they used.

That’s useful, yet it’s not the whole story. A list can’t tell you what residues are on your specific bag of fruit, how you plan to eat it, or what trade-off feels right for your budget. So the rest of this article breaks down what the Dirty Dozen is, what “not on the list” does and doesn’t mean, and the practical moves that cut residue on any fruit you bring home.

What The Dirty Dozen List Measures

The Dirty Dozen is part of EWG’s annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Each year, EWG ranks a set of fruits and vegetables using pesticide residue testing data. In 2025, EWG states it assessed USDA residue test results across tens of thousands of samples and ranked items using multiple factors tied to pesticide detection, amounts, and a toxicity-weighted element in its updated method.

The detail that gets missed in short social posts is the sample prep. In EWG’s write-up of the guide, it notes that produce samples are prepared before testing—washed, scrubbed, and peeled when that’s how people tend to eat them. The ranking is not based on a dirty, unwashed piece of fruit straight from a field. That makes the list more relevant to real kitchens.

Even with that prep, residues can still show up. That’s the “point” of the guide: it’s a ranking of which items, in that dataset and that year, scored worst by EWG’s criteria.

Are Plums On The Dirty Dozen List? What The 2025 Guide Shows

On EWG’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list page, plums do not appear among the 12 items named. The list shown includes spinach, strawberries, kale/collard/mustard greens, grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, pears, apples, blackberries, blueberries, and potatoes. Since plums aren’t listed, the direct answer for 2025 is no.

If you’ve seen older posts claiming “plums are Dirty Dozen,” they may be mixing up fruit types or pulling from older chatter that wasn’t tied to the current year’s list. EWG updates the guide yearly, and the lineup shifts as new test data enters the pool and as the scoring approach changes.

What “Not On The List” Means In Plain Terms

“Not on the Dirty Dozen” means plums did not rank in EWG’s top 12 for that year’s scoring. It does not mean “no pesticides.” It does not mean “always clean.” It means plums did not score high enough to make the top-12 cutoff.

Think of it like a scoreboard. Being outside the top 12 can still mean residues show up at times. It can still mean you want to rinse fruit well. It can still mean you choose organic plums when the price gap is small. The list is a prioritization tool, not a lab report on your kitchen counter.

Why Stone Fruits Often Raise Questions

Plums sit in the “stone fruit” family with peaches, nectarines, and cherries. Those three are on EWG’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list. So it’s easy to assume plums must be there too.

Yet the list is not grouped by plant family. It’s ranked by measured residues from the sampled items. Peaches and nectarines may show higher counts, higher levels, or different pesticide profiles in the data that EWG used, while plums may land lower in the ranking for the same year. That gap is exactly why checking the actual list matters.

How Regulators Describe Pesticide Residues In The Food Supply

EWG’s guide is built from government testing data, then filtered through EWG’s scoring and messaging. Federal agencies frame the same topic differently, with more emphasis on compliance with legal limits.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration publishes results from its pesticide residue monitoring program and states in its FY 2023 reporting that residue levels in the U.S. food supply are well below established safety standards, with high compliance rates for domestic and imported samples. FDA’s FY 2023 pesticide residue monitoring findings offer that big-picture view.

USDA also publishes yearly summaries through its Pesticide Data Program. In its January 6, 2026 press release about the newly published annual summary, USDA states that more than 99% of samples tested had residues below EPA benchmark levels. USDA’s 2024 PDP annual summary release provides that headline result.

These perspectives can both be true at once: residues can be common on certain crops, and measured levels can still be under legal thresholds. Your shopping choice is about how you want to manage exposure and budget, not about chasing a single “safe/unsafe” label.

How To Decide Between Organic And Conventional Plums

If plums aren’t on the 2025 Dirty Dozen, does that mean you should always buy conventional? Not automatically. The better question is: when does paying more for organic plums feel worth it for you?

Use this short decision lens. It’s built for real grocery trips, not perfect spreadsheets.

Where EWG’s Data Comes From And Why The Prep Step Matters

EWG’s guide is built on residue testing data collected by USDA. EWG’s summary explains that samples are washed, scrubbed, and peeled when that matches common prep before testing. That detail matters because it means the rankings reflect a “realistic” version of produce, not a worst-case unwashed version.

If you want to read EWG’s own explanation of how the 2025 rankings were assembled, start with EWG’s 2025 Shopper’s Guide summary. For the list itself, EWG’s 2025 Dirty Dozen list page shows the 12 items and short notes on each.

How To Lower Residues On Plums You Already Bought

Whether you buy organic or conventional, you still want clean fruit. Dirt, handling, and storage grime are part of real produce life. Washing also reduces some residues. It won’t erase everything, yet it’s still a solid habit.

Skip soap, bleach, and produce “detergents.” Those aren’t meant for foods and can leave their own residue. Stick with running water and friction. If you want to be extra thorough, use a clean produce brush for firmer fruits and rinse longer.

Simple Steps That Work In A Home Kitchen

• Rinse under running water. Hold each plum and rotate it as you rub the skin with your fingers.
• Use friction, not gimmicks. Rubbing beats a quick dunk in a bowl.
• Dry with a clean towel. Drying can lift off more surface residue than air-drying alone.
• Wash right before eating. Washing early can add moisture that speeds spoilage.

Common Mix-Ups That Make People Think Plums Are “Dirty Dozen”

A few patterns fuel the confusion:

• Stone fruit spillover. Peaches and nectarines are on the 2025 list, so people assume plums must be too.
• Old screenshots. Posts get shared year after year, even when the list changes.
• “Dirty Dozen” used as slang. Some writers use the phrase to mean “sprayed a lot,” not the literal top-12 ranking.

If you want to settle the question each year in under a minute, check the current list directly on EWG’s site and scan the 12 names. That beats any reposted graphic.

A Practical Takeaway For Plum Lovers

If you enjoy plums, keep eating them. In EWG’s 2025 ranking, plums aren’t in the top 12 items that score highest by their residue-focused method. If you’re budgeting for organic produce, it can make sense to put that money toward the fruits and vegetables that land on the Dirty Dozen list and that you eat often.

At the same time, washing well is still a smart baseline. It’s low effort and it applies to every produce choice, list or no list.