Texas AG, Sprouts Settle Over Pesticide Misting on Produce

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has agreed to ensure that none of its produce nationwide is misted with ProduceMaxx, a synthetic antimicrobial pesticide.

The settlement with Sprouts was secured by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and will be effective in all Sprouts locations across the United States, the attorney general’s office said in a Sept. 21 statement.

According to a compliance agreement signed by Sprouts, the complete cessation of ProduceMaxx misting will be implemented within 90 days.

ProduceMaxx contains hypochlorous acid, a form of chlorine. Federal law requires that USDA-certified organic produce sprayed with chlorine be rinsed with drinking water before consumption to maintain certification.

According to the agreement, Sprouts does not advise consumers to rinse produce with potable water before consumption, nor does it notify customers that the produce is being treated with ProduceMaxx.

Within 90 days, besides misting, any other use of ProduceMaxx, or other synthetic antimicrobial pesticide on organic produce will also be stopped.

The agreement clarifies that Sprouts denies any liability or wrongdoing and claims that it has not committed any acts that violate Texas law. The company also said that its use of ProduceMaxx was in line with regulatory standards. ProduceMaxx is a pesticide registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The settlement with Sprouts comes after Paxton initiated an investigation against major grocery chains in January over spraying pesticides on organic produce, according to a Jan. 12 statement from the attorney general’s office.

The statement noted that many grocery stores across the country hide their misting equipment from customers’ view and provide no notifications about the need to rinse produce before consumption.

Following the investigation, Albertsons Safeway LLC, which owns over 10 grocery store brands, settled with Texas, agreeing to stop misting synthetic pesticides, such as ProduceMaxx, on organic produce in the state.

Albertsons owns grocery chains such as Randall’s, Albertsons Market, Tom Thumb, Market Street Express, Amigos, and United Supermarkets. The agreement applies to all grocery stores owned by the company.

The Epoch Times reached out to Chemstar, the manufacturer of ProduceMaxx, for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

According to Chemstar, ProduceMaxx is approved for use in whole or cut vegetables and fruits. The chemical allegedly kills 99.999 percent of certain bacterial strains. The concentration of ProduceMaxx in misting systems is no more than four parts per million of chlorine, which is equivalent to the U.S. drinking water standard, Chemstar said.