Ken Paxton, Texas’ Attorney General has opened a probe into major grocery store chains in the state for potentially misleading consumers by spraying organic-labeled produce with pesticides.
By Catholics for Catholics
Are you sure your organic produce is, well, organic?
Ken Paxton, Texas’ Attorney General is probing major grocery store chains in the state for potentially misleading consumers by spraying organic-labeled produce with pesticides.
“I’m investigating major grocery chains for spraying organic produce with pesticides without telling consumers,” Paxton posted to X on Monday, according to The Daily Wire. “It’s not only wrong for grocers to mislead consumers about chemicals being sprayed on their food—it may very well be illegal.”
Consumers of organic products and produce expect and often demand that pernicious synthetic pesticides are avoided, although some naturally derived pesticides are allowed on organic foods.
Paxton said the pesticide in doubt is called Produce Maxx, which is an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide containing high concentrations of hypochlorous acid and considered a form of chlorine.
Produce Maxx is used in more than 50 retail brands across 10,000+ stores in North America, according to PolitiFact. It’s unclear how many spray “organic” foods as well.
NEW: I'm investigating major grocery chains for spraying organic produce with pesticides without telling consumers.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) January 12, 2026
It's not only wrong for grocers to mislead consumers about chemicals being sprayed on their food—it may very well be illegal. pic.twitter.com/lMK2yawntb
“Consumers buying organic produce assume they haven’t been treated with pesticides,” a press release from Paxton’s office said. “They don’t know that stores are spraying pesticides on the organic produce while it’s on the shelf.”
The consequences of having organic foods sprayed is that if a customer is not aware of such in-store spraying, they may not wash their produce. However, this is a problem, since federal law “requires produce sprayed with chlorine to be rinsed with drinking water before consumption to maintain USDA organic certification,” the release explained.
“Many grocery stores hide their misting equipment and Produce Maxx containers from customer view and provide no signage or warning labels about the pesticide treatment and the need to wash the organic produce,” the office charged.
“There should be no shortcuts when it comes to food safety, and my office will ensure that Texas consumers are not misled about the state of the produce they purchase,” Paxton said.
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