Regulators Declare Blueberries Safe After Pesticide Scare

According to a joint statement released on October 3, 2025, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the NSW Food Authority have determined that blueberries are safe for consumption. This comes after the authorities conducted further testing and found no evidence of the banned insecticide thiometon, which was previously flagged by a researcher in 2024.

The initial concerns were raised by Dr. Kirsten Benkendorff, a researcher at Southern Cross University in Coffs Harbour, who had detected thiometon in samples of blueberries purchased from local supermarkets. Thiometon, an insecticide that has not been registered for use since 1995 due to its toxicity, was present in several of the samples tested.

However, the EPA and Food Standards authority have now contradicted these findings. They state that industry testing conducted during the same period in October and November 2024 showed no evidence of thiometon residue on any berries. Additionally, a review of the 2024 research project found that the methodology and analysis used were not accredited for testing fresh fruit, and therefore the results are considered unreliable.

Benkendorff has suggested that her detection of thiometon may have been due to contamination from another spray or product used in horticulture. She had used a highly sensitive pesticide detection method capable of identifying 157 environmental contaminants, including thiometon.

While the authorities have dismissed the thiometon concerns, they have acknowledged Benkendorff's findings regarding relatively high levels of the insecticide dimethoate on some berry samples. This has led to swift action by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to extend the time between spraying berries with dimethoate and when they can be harvested.

The residue limits for dimethoate, an organophosphate pesticide used for fruit fly control, were based on 30-year-old consumption data. However, Australians have dramatically increased their consumption of berries in recent years, prompting the regulators to review the safety thresholds.