Short answer: rinse berries in a colander under cool running water just before you eat them, and skip the soap. A baking soda soak takes more residue off the surface of fruit in lab tests, although it was tested on apples, not berries. And no wash can reach residue that's already inside the fruit, which is why how berries are grown matters as much as how you wash them.
Why rinse berries at all
Berries go from the bush to the punnet without a peel or a wash, and most of us eat them by the handful. The NSW Food Authority says washing fruit and veg under cool running water removes visible and invisible contaminants, including surface pesticide residues left on the skin. The Food Safety Information Council gives the same advice, with one warning: never use soap or hand sanitiser on produce.
That advice stands even when the testing news is good. When the NSW Food Authority tested 100 samples of blueberries and raspberries bought from Sydney stores in November 2025, every one was within the legal limits for pesticide residues. It still recommends a rinse before eating.
How to wash berries, step by step
- Store them dry. Keep berries unwashed in the fridge, in the punnet they came in. Extra moisture encourages bacteria and mould, so wash produce just before you eat or cook with it.
- Wash only what you'll eat. Tip that portion into a colander and pick out any soft, split or mouldy berries.
- Wash your hands, then rinse the berries under cool running water, giving the colander a gentle shake so the water reaches every side.
- Use running water, not a full bowl. The Food Safety Information Council points out that washing ready-to-eat produce in a bowl of standing water can leave a soup of microbes that may re-contaminate the fruit or your hands. If you want to save water, catch the runoff for the garden instead.
- Rinse strawberries with their green tops on and hull them afterwards.
- Drain and pat dry on a clean tea towel or paper towel, then eat.
Water, baking soda, vinegar or soap?
| Method | What the evidence says | Use it? |
|---|---|---|
| Cool running water | Recommended by the NSW Food Authority and the Food Safety Information Council. Removes loose soil and surface residues, and helps remove many bacteria and viruses. | Yes, every time |
| Baking soda soak | In a 2017 lab study, a 1% solution (about 1 teaspoon in 2 cups of water) took more surface pesticide off apples than tap water or a bleach wash, after 12 to 15 minutes. Berries weren't tested. | Optional extra. Rinse well afterwards |
| Vinegar soak | Not part of that study, and Australian food safety advice sticks to plain water. | Not needed |
| Soap or sanitiser | Not made to be eaten. The Food Safety Information Council says not to use soap or hand sanitiser on produce. | No |
The baking soda result comes from researchers at the University of Massachusetts, who coated apples with two pesticides and compared washes (Yang et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2017). Baking soda won clearly for residue on the surface. The catch for berries is time: 12 to 15 minutes is a long soak for something as soft as a raspberry, and berries weren't part of the study. Treat it as a reasonable extra step, not a proven one, and rinse with fresh water afterwards.
What washing can't remove
Some pesticides sit on the skin. Others are systemic: the plant takes them up and moves them through its tissues. Dimethoate, the insecticide behind Australia's recent berry review, is a systemic insecticide.
The apple study shows the same limit. One of the two pesticides tested, the fungicide thiabendazole, travelled four times deeper into the peel than the other, and the residue that got inside couldn't be washed away, even with baking soda.
Southern Cross University researcher Kirsten Benkendorff, who tested blueberries and raspberries bought from NSW supermarkets in late 2024, ran her tests on washed blueberries. She told SBS News that berries have a semi-permeable skin that lets chemicals in. Ian Musgrave, a pharmacologist at the University of Adelaide, put it plainly in The Conversation: washing won't remove all the dimethoate on berries, but it can substantially reduce the levels. So rinsing is worth doing. It just isn't the whole answer.
Where the dimethoate rules stand
In November 2025 the APVMA, Australia's pesticide regulator, suspended dimethoate products for use on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. The reason was consumption: Australians now eat far more berries than the 2017 assessment assumed, so using dimethoate as the label directed no longer left an adequate safety margin. Growers can still use dimethoate on those berries under a permit, but must wait 14 days between spraying and harvest. Before the change, blueberries could be picked one day after spraying.
The APVMA says berries remain safe to eat. The permit was issued for one year, so check the APVMA website for any update after November 2026.
Do organic berries need washing?
Yes. Certified organic berries are grown without synthetic pesticides, but they still come from a farm and pass through people's hands, so give them the same rinse. Organic isn't a promise of zero residues either: Benkendorff's organic samples also carried pesticide residues, though at lower levels, as FreshPlaza reported.
Where organic makes the difference is before the berries ever reach your kitchen. Washing deals with what's on the surface. Australia's National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce deals with what goes on the plant in the first place: it prohibits pesticides made from synthetic chemicals, dimethoate included.
Certified organic berries at Unique Wholefood
All the fresh fruit and veg we sell at Leichhardt and Crows Nest is certified organic and Australian-grown. The certification sits with our growers, each certified by ACO or another Australian certifying body, and we're happy to show you a certificate if you ask.
Fresh punnets come and go with the season. When they're out, certified organic frozen berries are an easy swap for smoothies, porridge and baking.
| Berries | What they are |
|---|---|
 Organic Strawberries Punnet 250g |
Fresh, certified organic and Australian-grown |
 Organic Blueberry Punnet |
Fresh, certified organic and Australian-grown. Seasonal |
 Viking Organic Wild Berries 400g |
Frozen mix of wild berries from Serbia, certified organic by Ecocert |
 Viking Organic Wild Blueberries 400g |
Frozen wild blueberries from Serbia, certified organic by Ecocert |
 Elgin Organic Wild Blueberries 350g |
Frozen wild blueberries from Canada, certified by Australian Certified Organic |
 Elgin Organic Blackberries 1kg |
Frozen certified organic blackberries |
Frozen berries don't travel by Australia Post. Pick them up in store, or order online for home delivery from our Leichhardt store, which goes out in our refrigerated van. See the full range in fresh produce and frozen.
Keeping berries fresh for longer
- Keep them cold and dry. Straight into the fridge, unwashed, in their punnet.
- Check them when you get home. Take out any mouldy or squashed berries before they spread to the rest.
- Freeze what you won't get through. Wash and dry them well, freeze them in a single layer, then move them to an airtight freezer bag, as Love Food Hate Waste suggests.
Whatever you do, don't let any of this put you off berries. The point isn't to eat fewer of them. It's to wash them well and choose how they were grown.
Frequently asked questions
Should you wash berries before putting them in the fridge?
No. Moisture helps bacteria and mould grow, so keep berries dry in the fridge and wash them just before you eat or cook with them. The NSW Food Authority gives the same advice for all fresh produce.
Does baking soda remove pesticides from berries?
It may lift more residue off the surface than water alone. A 2017 study found a 1% baking soda solution removed more surface pesticide from apples than tap water or a bleach wash after 12 to 15 minutes. Berries weren't tested, and the soak couldn't reach pesticide that had moved inside the fruit.
Does vinegar remove pesticides from fruit?
Vinegar wasn't part of the 2017 washing study, and Australian food safety advice recommends plain cool running water. You don't need vinegar, soap or a special produce wash to clean berries.
Can you wash dimethoate off berries?
Not completely. Dimethoate is a systemic insecticide, which means the plant takes it up into its tissues. Washing can reduce the levels on berries, but it won't remove all of it.
Do organic berries need washing?
Yes. Certified organic berries are grown without synthetic pesticides, but they still come from a farm and pass through people's hands. Rinse them under cool running water just before eating, the same as any fresh fruit.
Are berries safe to eat?
Australia's pesticide regulator, the APVMA, says berries remain safe to eat. NSW Food Authority testing of 100 samples of blueberries and raspberries bought in Sydney in November 2025 found all of them within legal residue limits.
Related reading
- Pesticides on Berries in Australia: What You Need to Know and Why Organic Matters
- 201 Pesticide Residues Found on Supermarket Fruit and Veg in New Tests
- Pesticide Residues and an Organic Diet: What One Study Measured
- Certified Organic Produce in Australia: What the Label Actually Means
Sources
- NSW Food Authority, Science shows NSW berries safe to eat (March 2026). Testing of 100 berry samples bought in Sydney in November 2025, and advice on washing produce just before eating
- Food Safety Information Council, COVID-19 and fresh produce. Washing under running water, and no soap or sanitiser on produce
- Food Safety Information Council, Water and energy saving. What running water removes, and why a bowl of standing water isn't ideal
- Yang T et al. Effectiveness of commercial and homemade washing agents in removing pesticide residues on and in apples. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2017; 65(44): 9744–9752
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dimethoate. How a systemic insecticide moves through a plant
- SBS News, report on Kirsten Benkendorff's berry testing. Her tests on washed berries, and her comment on berry skins
- FreshPlaza, Australia reviews dimethoate use on berries after residue findings. Residues found in organic samples at lower levels
- Ian Musgrave, The Conversation, Are berries safe to eat? How worried should I be about the pesticide dimethoate? (November 2025). What washing does to dimethoate levels
- APVMA, Suspension of specific dimethoate products (11 November 2025). The suspension, the 14-day withholding period and the one-year permit
- HortiDaily, Australia bans dimethoate use on berries after safety review. The previous one-day harvest interval
- National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce, Edition 3.8 (hosted on agriculture.gov.au). The prohibition on synthetic pesticides
- Love Food Hate Waste, Love your berries and make them last. Freezing berries in a single layer
Last reviewed October 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
This article is general information about washing and storing fresh produce, based on the sources listed. It isn't medical or health advice. Product details and availability can change, so check each product page before you buy. See our terms of service, privacy policy, refund policy and shipping policy.