Once again, recent headlines are raising concerns about pesticides on and within Australia’s fruit and veg supply. It seems only yesterday there was alarm over increasing allowable residues of the pesticide isocycloseram on Australian berries by up to 500 times. Those changes have now been finalised. Now a fresh report from Pesticide Action Australia has brought the issue back into focus.
Australia’s Residue Report 2026 tested 78 samples of 13 types of fruit and vegetables from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi across five cities. It found:
201 pesticide detections involving 54 different pesticides.
PFAS pesticides in 44% of samples.
Pesticides not approved in the EU in 56% of samples.
Four residues exceeding Australian maximum residue limits.
Pesticide exposure has been linked to reproductive harm and certain cancers in humans (1). Not only that, a 2025 analysis of 1705 studies found that pesticides negatively affected a wide range of organisms beyond their intended targets, including effects on growth and reproduction (2).
I find it pretty wild that PFAS pesticides are still permitted on food while other PFAS chemicals are being restricted. Australia introduced industrial bans on PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS in July 2025 (3). These aren’t the same substances as the pesticides in this report, but the continued use of chemicals from this family deserves very close scrutiny.
It’s also important to consider that grains, nuts and legumes weren’t included in this report. These foods can also contribute pesticide and chemical residues to our diets (4,5), so our exposure doesn’t necessarily stop with the fruit and veg. If you’re following the recommended food pyramid, there’s a good chance that you’re consuming far more pesticides (and herbicides) than you realise.
And that’s part of the problem. There is, currently, no way for the consumer to know what was sprayed on the contents of their shopping cart. Clearly, industry-wide change is needed. Action needs to be taken in order to 1) increase consumer awareness, and 2) change our industrial farming practises into more nature (and health) friendly methods. Until then, here are some practical ways to reduce exposure and support positive change.
1. Choose organic when you can. Studies show that eating organic can reduce exposure to several synthetic pesticides (6). It isn’t a complete solution, as some sprays are still permitted. Look for recognised certification or ask questions about organic claims. Cost matters too, so work with what’s realistic for your household.
2. Get to know your local growers and vendors. Ask where their produce comes from and how pests are managed. Local doesn’t automatically mean unsprayed.
3. Grow and swap. If you grow some vegetables yourself, consider joining a produce swap or co-op. It’s a lovely way to share surplus and get to know the people growing your food.
4. Try a bicarb wash. Use 10 g of bicarbonate of soda per litre of water and soak for 12–15 minutes, then rinse. An apple study found this removed the surface residues of two tested pesticides (7). It won’t remove pesticides that have penetrated the produce.
5. Peel where practical. Peeling your fruit and veg can reduce some residues around the skin and those that have penetrated closely underneath it. It won’t reliably remove systemic pesticides within the plant.
6. Consider a more meat-based approach. I know this is a controversial one, but I think carnivore or a heavily meat-based diet with small amounts of organic, low-carb plant foods is worth considering. I’ve been going down the carnivore rabbit hole for many years and think that it can work as a nutrient dense, therapeutic diet when done well. It won’t be the right fit for everyone, but it’s an approach I’d like to explore further in a future post.
7. Be proactive with your overall health. If you’re concerned about potential toxicant exposure, functional testing may be an option to help investigate specific exposures, including certain pesticides, herbicides, plastics, solvents and heavy metals. There are also nutritional, herbal and lifestyle interventions that can support your body’s natural detoxification processes for these compounds. Once naturopathic services are available at Wide Bay Apothecary, this is an area I would be more than happy to help you explore.
References
(1) World Health Organization (2022) Pesticide residues in food. 15 September. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pesticide-residues-in-food (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
(2) Wan, N.-F. et al. (2025) ‘Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms’, Nature Communications, 16, article 1360. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56732-x.
(3) Therapeutic Goods Administration (2025) Updated ‘medical devices exempt from PFAS ban’ to include other therapeutic goods. 7 July. Available at: https://www.tga.gov.au/news/news-articles/updated-medical-devices-exempt-pfas-ban-include-other-therapeutic-goods (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
(4) Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2019) 25th Australian Total Diet Study. Available at: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/monitoring-safety/australian-total-diet-study (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
(5) Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (n.d.) Chickpea residue testing annual datasets 2024–25. National Residue Survey. Available at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2024-25-nrs-survey-annual-datasets-chickpea.pdf (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
(6) Rempelos, L. et al. (2022) ‘Diet and food type affect urinary pesticide residue excretion profiles in healthy individuals: results of a randomized controlled dietary intervention trial’, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115(2), pp. 364–377. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab308.
(7) Yang, T. et al. (2017) ‘Effectiveness of commercial and homemade washing agents in removing pesticide residues on and in apples’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(44), pp. 9744–9752. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b03118.