Are Your Vegetables Sprayed With Chemicals? 10,000 Stores in U.S. Use Antimicrobial Sprays

Produce Maxx, one of the antimicrobial sprays used on fresh produce, contains hypochlorous acid, a form of free chlorine, at a concentration of 6,000 parts per million (ppm). The CDC limit for free chlorine concentrations in drinking water is only 4 ppm.

By Dr. Joseph Mercola
June 5, 2024

Story at a glance:

The tiny misters in your grocery store produce section likely contain antimicrobial sprays that could be leaving your fresh fruit and vegetables covered in chemicals — even if they’re organic.

Chemstar’s “Sterilox Produce Maxx” product is an antimicrobial fruit and vegetable wash used by more than 50 retail brands across more than 10,000 stores throughout North America.

Produce Maxx, which is just one type of antimicrobial spray used on produce, contains hypochlorous acid, a form of free chlorine, at a high concentration of 6,000 parts per million (ppm).

For comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends free chlorine concentrations of no more than 4 ppm for maintaining safe drinking water.

Grocers use Produce Maxx to keep produce fresher longer and reduce spoilage, but although it’s said to be safe, the health risks to humans are largely unknown.

If you’re looking for fresh, chemical-free produce, your local grocery store may not be the best source. This is particularly true if you’ve noticed its produce section contains tiny misters that spray a fine mist onto fruits and vegetables.

While you may assume this is just water used to keep the produce fresh and moist, many stores actually use antimicrobial sprays that could leave your fresh fruit and vegetables covered in chemicals — even if they’re organic. And if you enjoy eating at salad bars, be aware that it may have been misted, too.

Is your fresh produce covered in an antimicrobial spray?

A viral social media post shed light on the practice of spraying chemicals on organic and conventionally grown produce. It featured photos taken in a Sprouts Farmers Market, which is a chain of health food stores based in Arizona.

There are close to 400 such stores in 23 states. An observant shopper noticed a Sterilox chemical bottle in the produce section and took a picture — prompting Sarah Pope, founder of The Healthy Home Economist, to conduct her own investigation:

“I normally do not shop there, but I stopped in any way to take a look to either confirm or disprove what the social media post was claiming. What I found 100% confirms what I saw on social media. …

“What exactly is the spray bottle hidden above the organic produce at the Sprouts store? It’s called Sterilox … What exactly is in this stuff?

“In a nutshell, Sterilox is a disinfectant approved by the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] in 2007 for use as a food-safe sanitizer to be used when re-hydrating or rinsing fresh produce, including leafy green vegetables. …

“Chemstar, the company that manufactures Sterilox has on their website a bottle of the stuff with organic produce in the background. At the Sprouts where I took the photograph, the Sterilox was right above the organic produce section. And yes, this stuff is allowed to be sprayed on organics!”

Chemstar’s “Sterilox Produce Maxx” product is an antimicrobial fruit and vegetable wash. The Sterilox system involves the electrolysis of a dilute salt solution (usually sodium chloride) to produce a mixture of hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide.

Hypochlorous acid is a powerful disinfectant and antimicrobial agent that is effective against a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi.

It is commonly used in various industries for sanitation and disinfection purposes, including food processing, healthcare facilities and water treatment.

These systems are often used to generate on-site disinfectants for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, equipment and produce.

According to the FDA, which approved Sterilox in 2007:

“The Sterilox System is already being used by leading U.S. retailers on produce in supermarkets … the Sterilox Solution — which mimics the natural anti-microbial hypochlorous solution produced by the human body to fight pathogens — is highly effective at killing a broad range of pathogens and spoilage organisms including E.coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Listeria, norovirus, avian influenza, yeast, and molds.”

Chemstar acquired Sterilox in 2016 and added Produce Maxx to its range of chemical products, which include degreasers, oven cleaners, drain cleaners, disinfectants and restroom products.

Produce spray contains high concentration of free chlorine

Produce Maxx, which is just one type of antimicrobial spray used on produce, contains hypochlorous acid, a form of free chlorine, at a high concentration of 6,000 ppm.

For comparison, the CDC recommends free chlorine concentrations of no more than 4 ppm for maintaining safe drinking water.

Similarly, in swimming pools and spas, free chlorine levels are typically maintained within the range of 1 to 3 ppm to ensure effective disinfection without causing irritation to swimmers. “Doesn’t look very safe or ‘organic,’ does it?” Pope said, referring to the Produce Maxx safety data sheet.

“Hypochlorous acid and 6,000 ppm of Free Available Chlorine (FAC)? For comparison, only 4 ppm chlorine is considered safe in drinking water, and it isn’t even safe to drink that!

“Consider that this antimicrobial being sprayed on your fresh produce contains 1,500X that amount of chlorine. Granted, the product is diluted with tap water before spraying, but the amount of chlorine that remains on the produce itself will be astronomical and not in any way safe!”

Produce is sprayed to extend shelf life and kill pathogens

Grocers use Produce Maxx to keep produce fresher longer and reduce spoilage, but although it’s said to be safe, the health risks to humans are largely unknown.

According to Chemstar, the product can be used for crisping, washing, cut fruit preparation and misting. It lists an array of benefits, including:

Kills 99.999% of E.coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in washing/crisping water.

Controls spoilage causing non-public health bacteria to enhance quality and shelf life.

Approved for use on whole or cut fruits and vegetables.

No potable water rinse is required.

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