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Chemical-free living
Food as Medicine
Healthy Living

Banned Overseas, But Still on the Menu Here?

Two farm workers in protective suits applying pesticide spray to vegetable crops inside a greenhouse using a backpack sprayer.

Most of us are just trying to get some decent food on the table without having to think too hard about it. We just want something that’s fresh, and that nourishes us from the inside out.

Checking whether the strawberries contain a pesticide that’s been banned overseas? That really shouldn’t need to be another job on the list.

But the recent supermarket pesticide report has given Australians a reason to ask more questions about what’s on our food, and why it’s allowed to be there.

At Joy Wholefoods, we’d much prefer our produce grown without these pesticides in the first place. There are farmers already growing beautiful food without them, and that’s the approach we want to support.

What did the report find?

Pesticide Action Australia tested 78 samples of fruit and vegetables bought from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi across five Australian cities, including Brisbane.

The testing found residues of pesticides not approved in Europe, some residues above Australian agricultural limits, and other results that need further investigation.

One strawberry sample contained a pesticide at 9.5 times the agricultural residue limit. A grape sample contained another at 5.5 times its limit.

It was a small sample, so it doesn’t tell us what’s on every supermarket shelf. But it’s enough to make you pause before accepting that everything is being managed as well as it should be.

We buy fruit and vegetables to nourish our families. It’s reasonable to expect proper oversight of what’s used to grow them.

Why are we still allowing pesticides other countries have ruled out?

You’d hope Australia would be leading the way when it comes to protecting our food, our farmers and our environment.

Unfortunately, there’s a sizeable gap between what we permit here and what other countries allow.

Research published by Griffith University this year found that 60% of the high-use pesticides examined were banned in the European Union. Others were banned in at least one country elsewhere.

That’s a pretty uncomfortable finding for a country that loves to describe its produce as “clean and green”.

Overseas restrictions have different reasons, including risks to human health, bees, waterways and other parts of the environment. But some involve serious health concerns.

Here are two examples found in the supermarket report:

  • Chlorpyrifos - detected in two capsicum samples. Europe withdrew its approval after experts raised concerns about possible damage to genetic material and effects on children’s developing nervous systems. They couldn’t establish a safe exposure level from the available evidence.
  • Acephate - also detected in two capsicum samples. This insecticide interferes with an enzyme needed for normal nerve function. At sufficient exposure, it can affect the human nervous system as well as the insects it’s designed to kill.

Not exactly the ingredients we had in mind for stuffed capsicums.

And what about “forever chemicals”?

Another finding was that nearly half of the samples tested contained at least one PFAS pesticide residue, according to Pesticide Action Australia’s findings reported by 7NEWS.

You’ve probably heard PFAS called “forever chemicals”. They’re a large family of synthetic chemicals, some of which are used as pesticides. The nickname comes from their resistance to breaking down, meaning contamination can persist long after a chemical has been used. Some PFAS can also build up in people and animals.

Research on certain PFAS has linked exposure with immune system effects, increased cholesterol, reproductive and developmental problems, and some cancers. Those findings don’t apply equally to every PFAS chemical or pesticide, but they explain why this family of chemicals is attracting so much concern.

For us, this raises questions that go beyond a single punnet of berries. What are we putting into our bodies, soil and waterways? How long will it remain there? And could we grow good food without adding to that burden?

We’d rather support farmers working to avoid these inputs than leave future generations to deal with what’s left behind.

Paraquat raises the same bigger question

The debate goes beyond the chemicals detected in this supermarket test.

Paraquat is a highly toxic weedkiller that Parkinson’s Australia says is banned in 70 countries. Australia still permits it, with our regulator introducing tighter restrictions in June this year rather than banning it.

Studies have linked paraquat exposure with Parkinson’s disease, prompting calls from Parkinson’s organisations for a ban. Australia’s regulator concluded that the evidence did not show an increased Parkinson’s risk from approved uses - a conclusion those organisations dispute.

Paraquat wasn’t reported as a finding in this supermarket test. It’s relevant because it raises the same question: why are we continuing to allow chemicals that so many other countries have ruled out?

And this goes beyond what ends up on our plates. The people handling these chemicals deserve protection too. The new Australian restrictions address poisoning risks for users and risks to birds and mammals in treated areas.

For us, backing farmers who grow without these chemicals feels like a pretty sensible choice. 

“Within the legal limit” isn’t what we care about

As people buying food for our families, we’re allowed to want more than reassurance that something meets a “legal limit”.

We’d prefer these pesticides weren’t used on our food in the first place.

We don’t think that’s an unreasonable thing to want. And where we can choose food grown without them, we’d rather do that than accept an exposure we can avoid.

There are already farmers putting enormous care into growing food differently. We want to back them.

This is why organic and spray-free matter to us

At Joy Wholefoods, we care about food grown using organic practices, and we’re proud to support organic and spray-free farmers who put enormous care into how they grow it.

That’s why knowing where your food comes from, and how it’s grown, is so important. We want to know what’s used on the farm, how pests are managed and who’s behind the food we’re feeding our families.

We want beautiful, nourishing food grown with care, without a side serving of pesticides we’d rather avoid. 

Knowing who grew your food makes a difference

A sticker saying “Australian grown” is useful, but it doesn’t tell you how that food was grown.

Who’s the farmer? What do they use to manage pests? Do they use organic farming methods?

These are fair questions. You shouldn’t feel awkward asking them.

Knowing your farmer means there’s a real person behind the produce, someone who can explain their practices and the decisions they make on their farm.

That’s a big part of why we do things the way we do at Joy Wholefoods. We know our farmers, we know where your food comes from, and we keep you connected to the people growing it.

We see the work that goes into growing good food, and we want more people to have access to it.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole fridge

Nobody needs another article telling them to throw everything out and become a completely different person by Monday.

Keep eating your fruit and vegetables. Start with a few organic swaps that make sense for your family, particularly the foods you buy and eat most often. The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists are a great place to start.

Ask questions, look for clear information about growing practices, and choose businesses that can tell you where their food comes from.

The responsibility for fixing this shouldn’t fall entirely on shoppers, either. We need stronger oversight and more transparency about what’s being used on our food.

But we can still make choices that reflect what matters to us.

For us, avoidable exposure to concerning pesticides simply isn’t worth it when we can choose food grown without them. We’d rather put our money behind farmers working hard to grow good food with care.

Order a Seasonal Box from Joy Wholefoods and fill your fridge with fresh organic and spray-free produce from farmers we know and trust.

References and further reading


 

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