⚠ Data note: "Tread Careful" does not mean avoid — it means be informed. For most items here, simple actions (peeling, buying local, washing well) meaningfully reduce risk. Organic is advisable where the item is eaten daily or frequently by children.
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1
🍊 Oranges & citrus
Buy AU-grown
Post-harvest imazalil fungicide (linked to hormone disruption) penetrates the peel into the flesh. Found on ~90% of peeled samples. Imported citrus carries 4× higher levels than AU-grown.
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2
🍅 Tomatoes
Buy local
QLD produce is legally required to be treated with a systemic insecticide dip before interstate transit. Buy locally grown where possible and check origin labelling.
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3
🫚 Ginger
Organic
Underground tuber absorbs residual soil pesticides during growth. Almost entirely imported into Australia. Clothianidin detected at high rates in Chinese ginger. Washing is largely ineffective.
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4
🧄 Garlic
Buy AU-grown
Most supermarket garlic is imported from China. Friends of the Earth AU: China accounts for ~40% of all AQIS pesticide MRL breaches. Papery skin offers some protection — buy Australian-grown where labelled.
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5
🥔 Potatoes
Peel well
90% of samples contain chlorpropham — a post-harvest sprout inhibitor banned in the EU since 2019, still approved in Australia. Concentrated in the skin — peel thoroughly.
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6
🫘 Fresh green beans
Wash well
Thin edible pod, high pest pressure. Acephate residues found internationally despite a decade-old ban. AU-specific data is limited but biology is comparable. Frozen green beans are lower risk.
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7
🫛 Snow peas & sugar snap peas
Wash well
Whole edible pod eaten fresh — no pesticide barrier. Predominantly AU-grown. Only industry-funded residue data available; independent testing is limited.
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8
🥒 Cucumbers
Peel
Named in AU ATDS monitoring data. Thin edible skin with moderate pesticide use. Sits in the middle of global rankings — not Dirty Dozen but not clean. Peeling removes most surface residues.
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9
🥒 Zucchini
Wash well
Thin edible skin, moderate pesticide use. Similar biology and risk profile to cucumbers. Generally AU-grown with limited independent residue data available.
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10
🥦 Broccoli & broccolini
Wash well
Lower risk than leafy greens but not negligible. Dense head provides some protection. Wash in running water getting into the florets. Organic worthwhile if eaten daily.
⚠️ Tread Careful Actions
- Peel potatoes & cucumbers thoroughly — removes most surface residues effectively
- Buy AU-grown garlic & citrus — significantly lower chemical load than imported equivalents
- Buy local tomatoes — avoids the QLD mandatory interstate transit insecticide treatment
- Organic ginger worthwhile for daily users — soil absorption makes washing largely ineffective
- Choose frozen green beans over fresh — blanching before freezing degrades residues meaningfully