Major Food Companies Backslide on Pesticide Commitments

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A new report from shareholder advocacy group As You Sow reveals that major food manufacturers have regressed on pesticide reduction practices and disclosure, with the industry average score falling to just 2.5 out of 27 points. The findings come as the federal government takes steps to shield chemical companies from liability, raising concerns about corporate transparency and accountability around pesticide use.

Why it matters

The backsliding by food companies on pesticide commitments comes at a critical moment, as the federal government is weakening oversight and shielding chemical manufacturers from accountability. This puts consumers, farmworkers, and ecosystems at increased risk, while also increasing supply chain and farm-level risk and decreasing accountability to shareholders.

The details

The updated Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard assessed 17 major food companies across nine key performance indicators related to pesticide transparency, risk reduction, and farmworker protection. Several former industry leaders, including General Mills, ADM, and Conagra, eliminated pesticide-related disclosures and saw their scores plummet. Only four companies - Del Monte, Post Holdings, Lamb Weston, and Nestlé - improved their scores. Notably, zero companies have adopted farmworker protection policies or standards for high-concern pesticides like neonicotinoids.

• Last month, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to designate glyphosate-based herbicides as essential to national security.
• The proposed 2026 Farm Bill includes provisions that would prohibit states from mandating health warnings on pesticides that differ from EPA-approved labels.
• The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell on April 27, a case that could determine whether federal law bars state failure-to-warn lawsuits brought by more than 100,000 plaintiffs who allege glyphosate caused their cancer.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell on April 27, a case that could determine whether federal law bars state failure-to-warn lawsuits brought by more than 100,000 plaintiffs who allege glyphosate caused their cancer.