Common food items including maize meal, bread, baby food and tomato sauce were among products tested in an independent African Centre for Biodiversity study, which found pesticide residues in 37 of 43 supermarket food samples.
An independent study released on Thursday has raised concerns about pesticide residues found in everyday supermarket foods in South Africa, including maize meal, bread, baby food and tomato sauce.
The briefing, titled "What’s really in our food?," was commissioned by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), researched and written by ACB research co-ordinator: Pesticides, Zakiyya Ismail, with editorial oversight and input by ACB executive director Mariam Mayet.
The study tested 43 commonly consumed food products bought from South African retail outlets between November 2025 and January 2026. The products were purchased unopened and in their original packaging, and sent to a South African National Accreditation System-accredited laboratory for pesticide residue testing.
According to the ACB, the testing was commissioned because South Africa does not routinely publish accessible pesticide-residue data for food sold locally.
