trawberries are one of America’s most beloved fruits: The average American eats about eight pounds of fresh ones per year. So a new investigation claiming to have found pesticide residues, including chemicals linked to PFAS compounds, in Driscoll’s conventional strawberries is the kind of news that stops a grocery run in its tracks.
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Here’s what the report actually found, what it means, and what it doesn’t.
What the investigation found
Consumer watchdog organization Mamavation purchased two containers of Driscoll’s strawberries — one organic, one conventional — from a Southern California grocery store and sent them to an EPA-certified lab, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory in Virginia, for testing of more than 500 pesticides.
The conventional strawberries tested positive for residues of 12 different pesticides. Approximately eight were identified as PFAS-linked pesticides or related fluorinated compounds — often called “forever chemicals” because some can persist in the environment and the human body for extended periods. The highest concentration detected was tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI), a byproduct linked to the fungicide captan, at 302 parts per billion. Pyrimethanil, an anti-fungal chemical, came in at 310 ppb, and cyprodinil, a fungicide commonly used on berries, was detected at 125 ppb.
Other substances identified included fludioxonil at 60 ppb, flonicamid at 32 ppb, flupyradifurone at 27 ppb, and fluxapyroxad at 26 ppb, among others.
The important context
The detected residue levels appear to fall within US federal tolerance levels — the legal limits set by the EPA for pesticide residues on food sold in the United States. Federal agencies maintain that residues below those established limits are considered safe based on current scientific assessments.
The report alleged that several of the detected levels exceeded stricter standards used in other countries, including the European Union, Taiwan, Chile, Korea, and Russia — but those international standards vary significantly from US regulations and from each other.
Experts note consistently that detecting pesticide residue doesn’t necessarily mean a food poses a health risk. EPA tolerance levels are designed to remain well below amounts considered harmful based on current scientific evidence. Critics of existing regulations argue that cumulative exposure to multiple chemicals over long periods — particularly PFAS-linked compounds that can accumulate in the body — warrants more caution than current standards reflect. It’s a genuine ongoing debate in food safety science, and it doesn’t have a simple resolution.
The organic finding
The most actionable detail in the report: the organic Driscoll’s strawberries tested showed no detectable pesticide or PFAS residues. For parents concerned about pesticide exposure in children, who tend to eat strawberries in significant quantities, this is a meaningful data point.
Strawberries have long appeared near the top of the Environmental Working Group’s annual Dirty Dozen list. In a separate EWG analysis of nearly 50 fruits and vegetables, strawberries ranked among the produce items with the highest number of detectable pesticide residues — with 99% of tested samples containing at least one pesticide residue and about 30% containing 10 or more. That report didn’t name specific brands.
What Driscoll’s says
A Driscoll’s spokesperson responded to the investigation, stating that the company “takes seriously and closely follows scientific best practices and regulatory guidance on research related to food-safety risks” and that Driscoll’s and its independent grower partners “operate in full compliance with applicable US federal, state and local pesticide and food-safety regulations.” The company also noted that all Driscoll’s growers undergo third-party audits by independent auditors.
TL;DR:
The Mamavation investigation found pesticide residues in conventional Driscoll’s strawberries — within EPA limits, but above some international standards, and including PFAS-linked compounds. The organic strawberries tested showed no detectable residues.
If pesticide exposure is a concern in your household, particularly for young children who eat a lot of strawberries, switching to organic is the most straightforward response the data supports.
The broader debate about whether current US tolerance levels are strict enough is ongoing — and worth following.
