Spend, scrub or save: which fruit and veg are worth buying organic in Australia

Fruit and vegetables are the heart of the Honeycomb way of eating. They are also expensive, and buying everything organic is out of reach for most families. So which ones are worth the extra money, and which can you happily buy from your local fruit and veg shop?

You may have seen the American “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists. They are built from testing on American farms, with American pests, weather and spray rules. Our growers deal with different insects (hello, fruit fly), a different climate and different chemicals. So I went looking for what Australian testing actually shows, and turned it into a simple guide: Spend, Scrub or Save.

First, a picture to make it simple

It’s kind of like this. Think of a fruit or vegetable’s skin as its clothing on a rainy day.

A pumpkin, a banana or an avocado is wearing a thick raincoat. When the spray comes, it lands on the raincoat, and you take the raincoat off before you eat. A strawberry, a lettuce leaf or a sprig of coriander is wearing a thin T-shirt, and it soaks right through. You also eat the T-shirt.

It isn’t exactly how it works scientifically, because some sprays are absorbed into the whole plant. But it’s an easy way to remember why thin-skinned, eat-it-whole foods are the ones to spend on.

What Australian testing shows

Australia doesn’t publish a yearly list like the American one. But our state and national governments do test fresh produce, and together the results paint a clear picture:

Herbs stand out. In Victoria’s testing from 2019 to 2024, about 1 in 3 herb samples had residues above the legal limit.¹

Leafy greens, peas, cucumbers and capsicum are next. WA tested 1,241 samples between 2009 and 2015. The same foods failed again and again: snow peas, parsley, cucumbers, spinach, celery and capsicum.⁵ In Victoria, about 1 in 11 leafy vegetable samples were over the limit.¹

Many fruits carry residues most of the time, even when they pass. In NSW’s 2025 testing, all 100 punnets of blueberries and raspberries were within the legal limits, but 95 of them carried at least one pesticide.⁶ In older Australian data, 99% of apples, 98% of peaches and 97% of nectarines had at least one residue.⁹

The newest results back this up. In WA’s 2023 survey of 218 samples from large Perth retailers, 97% were within the legal limits. The 7 that failed were grapes (3 of 20), carrots (3 of 21) and one banana, all only slightly over.²

The national diet study tells the same story. Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s Total Diet Study tests food the way Australians actually eat it. Its most recent pesticide round (foods bought in 2008) found everyone’s intake within safe limits, and no residues at all in baby foods. But it also found chemicals on foods they aren’t permitted on, including celery, cucumber, nectarines, mushrooms and oranges, and apples carried the highest levels of the mite spray propargite.¹¹

Local growers did especially well. In WA’s 2020 survey of 232 samples bought straight from farm gates and local markets, 99% were within the legal limits.³ That’s good news for your local fruit and veg shop and farmers’ market.

Thick-skinned produce is consistently low. Only about 1% of avocados had any residue, and onions had residues on fewer than 1 in 10 samples.⁹ WA found no failures at all in garlic, sweet corn, asparagus, kiwifruit, passionfruit or squash.⁵

To keep this in perspective: most samples in Australian testing are within the legal limits, and those limits include large safety margins.¹⁷ This guide isn’t about fear. It’s about lowering your overall load where it’s easiest to do so, and spending your money wisely.

Spend: where organic is worth it

Buy these organic when you can, grow them yourself, or buy spray-free from a grower you know and trust. There are 16, not 12, because that’s what the Australian results showed. Remember, “within the legal limit” doesn’t mean “nothing there”: these are the foods that most often carry residues, or most often go over the limit.

Fresh herbs (coriander, parsley, basil, mint, dill): In Victoria’s 2019 to 2024 testing, 26 of 73 herb samples (about 1 in 3) had residues above the legal limit. That is far more than leafy vegetables (about 1 in 11) or berries (about 1 in 20) in the same testing. WA found 9 failed results in 19 parsley samples in 2013, and failures in basil and coriander in 2015. Herbs are eaten raw, and they are the easiest thing on this list to grow yourself.¹⁵

Asian leafy greens (bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, kang kong): WA’s 2015 survey found chlorpyrifos, an insecticide, over the limit in choy, and NT testing found residues on kang kong. In Victoria, about 1 in 11 leafy vegetable samples were over the limit. Leafy greens have a big surface area and nothing to peel.⁵⁸¹

Spinach and silverbeet: In WA, spinach had 6 failed results in 2013 (chlorpyrifos and dimethoate) and 3 more in 2015 (chlorpyrifos). You eat every leaf, so whatever is on it, you eat too.⁵

Lettuce, rocket and salad mixes: Leafy vegetables were among the food groups most often over the legal limit in Victoria’s testing, and 7 of 18 WA lettuce samples failed in 2009 (mostly older chemicals that have since been banned). Salad leaves are eaten raw, often every day, so they add up.¹⁵

Kale: Victoria’s leafy vegetable group, which includes leafy brassicas such as kale, had about 1 in 11 samples over the legal limit. Kale’s curly leaves also hold on to spray.¹

Celery: In WA’s 2013 survey, 5 of 21 celery samples had the fungicide pyrimethanil above the legal limit. The national Total Diet Study also found two fungicides on celery that are not permitted on it at all. Celery has no peel, and it is a favourite in juices, where you use a lot of it at once.⁵¹¹

Strawberries: Australian data has repeatedly found strawberries among the fruit most likely to carry residues. When CHOICE tested strawberries, they found nine different pesticides overall and some punnets with four at once, WA found a residue with no legal limit on 2 strawberry samples in 2011, and the national Total Diet Study detected the old insecticide dicofol on strawberries. Strawberries are soft, thin-skinned and sprayed for both insects and mould.⁹¹⁰⁵¹¹

Blueberries and raspberries: In NSW’s November 2025 testing of 100 punnets from Sydney shops, every sample was within the legal limits, but 95 of the 100 carried at least one pesticide residue. Only 5 had nothing detected. Berries are eaten whole and can’t be peeled, so frozen organic berries are a great budget swap.⁶

Table grapes: Grapes are among the fruit most likely to carry residues in Australian testing. Victoria found table grapes over the legal limit, and in WA’s 2023 survey, 3 of 20 grape samples had the insecticide dichlorvos over the limit. You eat them skin and all.⁹¹²

Apples: In Australian testing summarised from 2000 to 2011, 99% of apple samples had at least one pesticide residue. In the 2024-25 National Residue Survey, 6 of 170 apple samples had the fungicide iprodione over the limit, and WA found failures in 2013 and 2015. In the national Total Diet Study, apples carried the highest levels of the mite spray propargite, and made up more than 90% of Australians’ intake of it. If organic apples are out of budget this week, peel them.⁹⁷⁵¹¹

Peaches, nectarines and apricots: In Australian data, 98% of peaches and 97% of nectarines had at least one residue. Victoria has found apricots over the legal limit, and two of the three failures in WA’s 2020 farm-gate survey were a peach and a nectarine. The national Total Diet Study also found a mite spray on nectarines that is not permitted on them. Stone fruit has thin, fuzzy skin that holds on to spray.⁹¹³¹¹

Cherry tomatoes: In WA’s 2017-18 survey of 279 samples, 10 failed, and 8 of them were cherry tomatoes. You eat them whole, and there is a lot of skin for their size.⁴

Cucumbers: WA testing found 6 failed results in cucumbers in 2013 and 6 more in 2015 (from about 22 samples each year), mostly the insecticide chlorpyrifos. NT testing also found chlorpyrifos over the limit in Lebanese cucumbers, and the national Total Diet Study found chlorpyrifos and the fungicide iprodione on cucumber, where neither was permitted. Peeling helps if you cannot buy organic.⁵⁸¹¹

Carrots (especially if you juice them): In WA’s 2023 survey of large Perth retailers, 3 of 21 carrot samples had chlorpyrifos over the legal limit, and WA found the same chemical on 2 of 20 carrot samples in 2013. Carrots are a family staple and the base of most juices, where you use a lot of them at once. If organic is out of budget, peel them.²⁵

Capsicum and chillies: WA found capsicum residues over the limit in every survey from 2011 to 2015, including 4 failed results in 2011. The national Total Diet Study detected the insecticides dicofol and methamidophos in capsicum, and capsicum, chillies and spices were the only source of methamidophos in the Australian diet. NT testing also found residues over the limit in chillies.⁵¹¹⁸

Snow peas and sugar snap peas: Peas were among the worst results in WA: 17 failed results in 2013 (mostly the fungicides iprodione and carbendazim) and 6 more in 2015. Some were imported. Snow peas and sugar snaps are eaten pod and all.⁵

Scrub: buy regular, then soak, scrub or peel

These are fine to buy from your regular shop. Give them a good wash, and peel them where it makes sense.

Fruit or vegetable	Why
Pears	None of 52 pears in the latest national survey were over the limit. Wash or peel.⁷
Cherries and plums	No WA cherry failures and one plum failure. Stone fruit is sprayed, so give them a good soak.⁵
Tomatoes	A few WA samples over the limit most years. A soak and rinse is enough.⁵
Broccoli and cauliflower	Single failures in WA in 2017-18 and 2020. Cut into florets, then soak.⁴³
Mangoes	Often dipped after picking against fruit fly and rot. Wash before cutting and don’t eat close to the skin.⁸⁵¹²
Mushrooms	5 of 11 WA samples failed in 2009, with no newer data. Wipe or rinse quickly.⁵
Potatoes	Stored potatoes can be treated with a sprout inhibitor. Peel, or buy new-season potatoes.¹³
Beetroot and parsnips	Root vegetables: scrub well or peel.
Green beans and zucchini	Thin skins and eaten whole, so wash well.

Save: buy regular and keep your money

These are consistently low in residues, usually thanks to a thick skin or peel. Buy them from your local fruit and veg shop and spend the savings on the Spend list.

Fruit or vegetable	Why
Avocados	Only about 1% of samples carried any residue. You do not eat the skin.⁹¹²
Onions	Residues on fewer than 1 in 10 samples, and you peel the outer layers.⁹
Garlic	No WA failures in 35 samples. Choose Australian-grown: garlic from China must be fumigated before it can enter Australia.⁵¹⁴
Pumpkin, squash and sweet potato	Thick skin, few pests. No WA failures in 21 squash samples.⁹⁵
Bananas	Thick peel. No WA failures in 38 samples between 2009 and 2015; 1 of 20 slightly over in 2023.⁵²
Pineapples	Thick peel you do not eat.⁹
Passionfruit and kiwifruit	Thick skins. No WA failures in 41 samples.⁵
Oranges, mandarins, lemons and limes	The flesh is well protected. If you use the zest, buy organic or unwaxed: citrus peel is often waxed with a fungicide, and WA found one over the limit on 3 lemons in 2013.⁹⁵
Watermelon and rockmelon	Thick rind. Scrub the outside before cutting so the knife does not carry dirt into the flesh.
Sweet corn	Protected by its husk. No WA failures in 48 samples.⁵
Asparagus	No WA failures in 29 samples.⁵
Cabbage	Remove the outer leaves and the inside is well protected.⁹⁵
Eggplant and radishes	Consistently low in residues.⁹

A note on mangoes and avocados: in 2023, Australia’s chemical regulator suspended a post-harvest dip used on these fruits after residues were found above acceptable levels. It’s a good example of the system tightening up, and the flesh you eat is protected by a thick skin.¹²

The bicarb soak: how to wash your fruit and veg

Fill a clean sink or big bowl with cool water.

Stir in bicarb soda: about 2 teaspoons per litre of water.

Separate leaves and break broccoli and cauliflower into florets, then soak for 12 to 15 minutes.

Rinse well under running water, rubbing firm produce with your hands or a veggie brush.

Dry, then store or eat. Wash berries just before eating so they don’t go mouldy.

In a university study on apples, a bicarb soak removed more surface residue than plain water or a bleach rinse. It can’t remove residues that have soaked into the fruit, which is why the Spend list still matters.¹⁵

How to spend less on the Spend list

Grow your own herbs. Coriander, parsley, basil and mint grow happily in pots on a sunny windowsill or balcony. They top the list, and a seedling costs about the same as one bunch from the shop.

Buy frozen organic berries. They are often cheaper than fresh, last for months and are perfect in smoothies and chia puddings.

Buy local and ask questions. Produce bought straight from WA growers had the best results of any survey.³ At the market, ask “What do you spray?” Many small growers spray very little, and they are usually happy to tell you.

Know your labels. “Spray-free” is the grower’s own description. Australia has no legal definition of “organic” for food sold here, so for certified organic, look for a certifier’s logo.¹⁶

Peel when you need to. If organic apples or cucumbers are out of budget this week, buy regular and peel them.

Eat in season. In-season, local produce spends less time in storage and travelling.

Most important of all: never eat fewer fruit and vegetables because you can’t afford organic. The benefits of eating plenty of plants far outweigh the residues. Buy what you can, wash it well, and enjoy it.