Pesticides found in our every day foods

26 JUN 2026, 00:00

8 min read

Independent testing commissioned by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has found pesticide residues in 86% of a sample of commonly consumed foods, including products intended for infants and young children. The findings, released in a new briefing paper, are based on laboratory analysis of 43 products purchased between November 2025 and January 2026. The tests detected 37 pesticide active ingredients, including 13 classified internationally as highly hazardous pesticides.

The residues were detected across the food system, including staple foods such as maize meal, bread and flour, as well as breakfast cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables and foods intended for infants and young children. The All Gold Tomato Sauce sample contained 14 different residues.

The breadth of the findings suggests exposure could occur across a typical daily diet.

The analysis by the non-profit organisation does not allege unlawful conduct by food producers or retailers, nor does it attempt to quantify individual health risks. Instead, it argues that the findings expose broader shortcomings in South Africa’s pesticide regulatory system, particularly around transparency, public access to information and the way pesticide exposure is assessed.

“The data highlights a gap between how exposure happens in reality and how residues are regulated,” Zakiyya Ismail, the pesticide coordinator at the ACB, said. She said regulators typically assessed pesticides individually, while consumers were exposed to mixtures of chemicals through everyday diets. While residue limits generally assess individual chemicals in individual crops, consumers may be exposed to multiple residues across different foods daily.

The ACB said regulatory systems did not adequately account for the aggregate and cumulative exposure pathways.

Children are at the centre of the organisation’s concerns. Of the nine infant and toddler products tested, seven contained pesticide residues, including substances classified internationally as highly hazardous.

The report notes that children consume more food relative to their body weight than adults and are undergoing critical stages of development, making them potentially more vulnerable to chemical exposures. It cites scientific literature linking prenatal and early-life exposure to some pesticides with developmental and neurobehavioural impacts.

Foster Mohale, the spokesperson for the national department of health, said it had reviewed the ACB’s findings and conducted periodic, risk-based surveys to monitor pesticide residues in food.

The surveys were designed by assessing “how, what and when to test”, based on the likelihood of harm to human health, prioritising chemicals and foods that posed the highest dietary risk.

“Surveys have demonstrated that the risk from dietary exposure to glyphosate from staples is quite low and the ACB findings have also demonstrated this,” Mohale said.

He said food safety testing was an interdepartmental responsibility shared among national and local government structures and the Border Management Authority.

The department of agriculture, which did not respond to the Mail & Guardian’s questions, was responsible for testing regulated agricultural products destined for export and shared the data with the health department, he said.

The health department conducted periodic surveys based on risk to inform regulatory change, while enforcement was carried out by municipal health services for locally produced products and by port health officers at points of entry for imported goods.

Mohale said South Africa applied the principles of the World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Codex Alimentarius risk assessment framework for dietary exposure to chemical hazards in food. South Africa’s system estimated dietary exposure and compared it with internationally recognised toxicological thresholds to assess long- and short-term risks.

Mohale said that if proposed maximum residue limits (MRLs) fell within the acceptable daily intake, they were accepted and if they exceeded 100% of the threshold, they were rejected.

Several manufacturers and retailers whose products were included in the testing said the findings did not indicate a food safety concern and noted that the reported residue levels complied with applicable standards. Laboratory certificates published by the ACB showed residues in Woolworths’ Woolies Babes Mixed Berries and Woolies Babes Chicken Bolognese with Pasta products.

Latiefa Behardien, the chief technology and sustainability officer for Woolworths Food, said the retailer welcomed the findings. They affirmed its farming principles and quality control processes. “Conversations around pesticides are complex. On one hand, they are a vital part of agriculture that are crucial to maintaining productive growing conditions. Equally, pesticides should be used only where necessary and as sparingly as possible.”

Behardien said minimising pesticide use was a core commitment. “We never spray unnecessarily. Instead, our Farming for the Future programme prioritises natural, alternative pest management and we encourage biodiversity on our farms so that natural predators, like ladybirds, wasps and spiders, can keep pest populations in check, reducing the need for chemical intervention.”

South Africa’s regulatory framework sets the Maximum Residue Limit for pesticides across various crops. “Where no specific MRL exists, a default limit of 0.01mg/kg applies. All Woolworths products mentioned in the report tested well within these limits and at a fraction of the permitted levels ... We invest in thousands of independent tests each year to rigorously monitor our products,” Behardien added.

Tiger Brands said it was conducting a detailed review of the research findings but noted that the reported residues detected in its products were “well within regulated limits”. The company said it regularly tested agricultural commodities, including tomatoes and tomato paste, for pesticide residues and works closely with supplying farmers to ensure compliance with South African regulations.

“None of the residues detected in our products exceed MRLs of the major agricultural commodity that it contains,” Tiger Brands said, adding that products containing residues at or below the prescribed limits were considered acceptable and safe to consume. “Tiger Brands is committed to producing products with quality and safety as priorities and ensures rigorous compliance with regulations governing pesticide residues. We regularly test agricultural commodities, including tomatoes.”

“The responsible use of pesticides within regulated limits in the local agricultural sector plays an important role by protecting crops from pests and diseases that can reduce yields and quality. Where pesticides have been used during cultivation pesticide residues may be present in agricultural commodities. Residues found at or below the MRL is an indication of the product being acceptable and safe to consume.”

Cumulative effects of residues from pesticides were part of risk assessments conducted by regulators before MRLs were set and would be taken into consideration in the MRL. “We do track trends of residues. Residues detected are usually few and below the limit of quantification. If above the limit of quantification, they are well below the MRL. Therefore, cumulative effects would be minimal.”

The ACB’s testing also identified residues in many other branded products, including Nestlé Nido 1+ baby milk powder. Conny Sethaelo, the director of corporate communications and public affairs at Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region, said: “At Nestlé, the health and wellbeing of children is our top priority and we uphold rigorous food safety and quality standards across all products.”

Nestlé, she said, was aware of the ACB’s briefing and the reported detection of pesticide residues in a sample of Nestlé Nido 1+. “We strongly reject any suggestion that any of the Nestlé Nido 1+ products are unsafe or non-compliant. Our products meet all applicable South African regulations and internationally recognised standards, including Codex Alimentarius requirements for pesticide residues.”

Sethaelo said Nestlé applied a stringent monitoring programme across raw materials and finished products, covering a broad range of pesticides. All results were assessed against strict safety and compliance criteria. “The referenced laboratory results report values below the limit of quantification, meaning they are not quantifiable and do not indicate regulatory non-compliance or a health risk. Characterising trace findings of this nature without full analytical context is misleading and risks creating unnecessary anxiety among parents and caregivers.”

The presence of a pesticide residue does not necessarily mean a food is unsafe or that legal limits have been exceeded. However, the ACB argues that maximum residue limits are often interpreted as health-based safety thresholds when they are primarily regulatory tools and that compliance does not necessarily account for exposure to multiple residues across a typical diet.

The report also raises concerns about transparency and governance. It argues that pesticide residue monitoring data and toxicological information are not routinely made accessible to the public, limiting scrutiny of regulatory decisions. The ACB also noted that pesticide oversight is fragmented across multiple departments and agencies.

Ismail said the objective of the project was not to create alarm but to generate independent information that could contribute to public debate and evidence-based policymaking. “It is disheartening to find pesticide residues are common across staples, fresh produce and children’s foods and that our regulatory standards do not routinely assess how people are exposed through real-world diets.”