Australia has a pesticide problem. It's time for change.

Testing reported by Pesticide Action Australia has found pesticide residues on supermarket fruit and vegetables, including 'forever chemical' PFAS pesticides, chemicals banned in the EU, and prohibited residues that should not be found on Australian-grown food at all.

Every day, we're exposed to a low-level 'chemical cocktail' of pesticides through our food that goes undisclosed by supermarkets and inadequately tested by regulators. Children are especially vulnerable.

We have a right to know what we are eating.

Australia's supermarkets hold enormous market power. If Coles, Woolworths and Aldi get this right, they can change the future …

Testing reported by Pesticide Action Australia has found pesticide residues on supermarket fruit and vegetables, including 'forever chemical' PFAS pesticides, chemicals banned in the EU, and prohibited residues that should not be found on Australian-grown food at all.

Every day, we're exposed to a low-level 'chemical cocktail' of pesticides through our food that goes undisclosed by supermarkets and inadequately tested by regulators. Children are especially vulnerable.

We have a right to know what we are eating.

Australia's supermarkets hold enormous market power. If Coles, Woolworths and Aldi get this right, they can change the future of our food.

But we shouldn't have to rely on corporations to self-regulate - this is a government duty. That's why this letter goes to both supermarket CEOs and government elected officials.

We want government and supermarkets to step up: test more, publish what they find and support growers to reduce pesticide use. Other countries already do this at scale. Australian consumers deserve that same transparency, and Australian growers deserve that support.

Send your letter today. Show supermarkets and government that Australians expect better from our food - for our health, our farmers, and the nature our food system depends on.

+

image of Australia has a pesticide problem. It's time for change.

Write to supermarkets and government

Send your letter today. Show supermarkets and government that Australians want fewer pesticides on our food and expect better for our health, our farmers, and the nature our food system depends on.

Find your local rep

Subject:

I want to buy fruit and vegetables with the confidence that they are as safe and healthy as possible.

Testing results revealed by Pesticide Action Australia have found pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables at our major supermarkets that include 'forever chemical' PFAS pesticides, neurotoxic organophosphates, pollinator-killing neonicotinoids, chemicals banned in the European Union, and some prohibited residues that should not be detected on Australian-grown produce at all.

I find this deeply concerning, and I'm not alone. A September 2026 poll found 80% of Australians would prefer fewer pesticides on their food, even if it means finding more insects or insect damage. Healthy food should be the cleanest food, and we deserve to know what we are eating.

I'm writing to supermarkets and elected government officials, because both have a major part to play in fixing this.

I'm asking supermarkets to:
- Adopt a pesticide-reduction policy in line with international best practice,
- Regularly test produce and publish the results for customers,
- Phase out the most hazardous pesticides, 
- Support and incentivise farmers to use lower-chemical, nature-friendly methods,
- Relax cosmetic fruit and veg standards that drive extra spraying for insect- and blemish-free produce.

Australia's supermarkets hold enormous market power. If supermarkets take the lead and get this right, they can change the future of our food in Australia. Supermarkets overseas are already doing exactly what I am asking for.

At the same time, we should not have to rely on companies to self-regulate alone - this is a government duty.

The residues on our food are symptomatic of a wider problem for Australia. World Bank data shows that Australia uses twice as much pesticide per hectare of cropland as the US, and three times as much as China. Concerningly, 60% of Australia's high-use pesticides are banned in the European Union, many due to links to cancers, Parkinson's disease and reproductive harm, as well as their environmental impact on our pollinators and ecosystems.

Our pesticide regulator is nearly entirely funded by industry and our government testing schemes are inadequate, largely industry-led and inaccessible to the general public. Meaningful action will also protect our international trade reputation as a 'clean and green' exporter of food.

That's why I'm also asking the government to:
- Test our food regularly and comprehensively, and make the results transparent and accessible to the Australian people,
- Reform Australia's pesticide regulation in line with international best practice,
- Provide real support to farmers to help them transition to safer methods to protect Australia's health and environment.

I expect supermarkets and government to future-proof our food - for our health, our farmers, and the nature our food system depends on.

Thank you. I would appreciate a response letting me know what you will do.

How we use the data you enter on this form

See our Privacy Statement for how we use your personal information.

Do Gooder (the advocacy platform powering this online action) processes personal information from you that you enter on this form so that we can provide the functions and related services to you and The Campaigner (the organisation responsible for this online action) for their legitimate purposes, including possibly exporting it to other systems, and to effectively respond to enquiries and communications related to those services.

Specifically when you enter:

Your location data (residential address or postcode) it is used to locate your elected representative, to pre-populate your email signature and to provide The Campaigner with a visualisation of the location of the support for this campaign.
All other data you may enter, including your email address, name, telephone number, commentary and so on is used by The Campaigner to advocate for the campaign’s goals and where required may be sent to the target of the campaign.

The data collected by Do Gooder is also used by us in aggregate form to improve the service and may be held on your behalf outside your country of residence by our third party service providers. These providers are bound by contract to only use personal information on our behalf, in accordance with agreed terms. While the privacy laws of the country in which personal information is stored or transferred may be different from those in your country, we will always have safeguards in place when storing or transferring personal information. We will never sell, rent, loan or in any other way pass your information on to other parties other than to provide this service to you and The Campaigner.

The personal information collected by Do Gooder is held subject to a Data Processing Agreement between Do Gooder and The Campaigner in compliance with the EU's GDPR and Australian law.

Learn more about our privacy policy here

How is my data used?