Sprouts is pulling a chlorine mist off its produce in every US store
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In a settlement announced September 21, Sprouts agreed to stop misting its produce with a chlorine-based wash at all of its stores nationwide. Texas says organic shoppers were never told about it. Sprouts denies doing anything wrong and says its practices followed the rules.
What Sprouts was spraying
Walk into a Sprouts and you'll see little sprinklers over the lettuce and kale. Every few minutes they hiss, and a fine fog settles on the greens.
Texas says Sprouts never told shoppers what was in that fog. The state's attorney general investigated under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a law that bans misleading customers. That investigation led to the September deal.
At Sprouts, that fog carried a germ-killing wash called ProduceMaxx. Its maker says more than 50 grocery brands use it, in over 10,000 stores across North America.
The active part is hypochlorous acid. It's a mild form of chlorine. It kills germs like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. It also keeps greens looking crisp, which is why stores like it.
The EPA registers it as a pesticide, the category for chemicals made to kill living things. This one is aimed at germs.
What the ProduceMaxx label says
The ProduceMaxx jug carries a CAUTION warning. Its EPA label says it "causes moderate eye irritation" and tells you to call a poison control center if the concentrate gets in your eyes or on your skin. That warning covers the full-strength concentrate. The maker's safety sheet rates the watered-down version stores use as nonhazardous.
Stores don't only mist it. The label tells workers to soak produce in it for at least 90 seconds to "crisp" it. That soak runs at 30 to 60 parts per million of chlorine.
For regular produce, the label says "No rinse is required." The produce drains for 10 minutes and goes on display. For organic produce, the same label calls for a clean-water rinse after treatment.
Chlorine washes leave something behind
Chlorine can leave a leftover called chlorate which is formed when it is stored. Germany's food risk agency says the main way chlorate gets into food is contact with chlorine-treated water.
In 2015, Europe's food safety agency looked at chlorate and found it can block your thyroid from taking in iodine (the mineral your thyroid uses to run your metabolism). Babies, kids, and people with thyroid problems are most at risk. Europe now caps how much chlorate food can carry.
One salad won't hurt your thyroid. The worry is eating it day after day, especially for kids. We couldn't find a single test of how much chlorate ProduceMaxx leaves on store greens. The research does not establish harmful chlorate levels in Sprouts produce.
Organic rules say: rinse it off
The federal organic rules allow chlorine on organic food. But there's a catch, and it's written right into the rule.
USDA guidance says organic produce treated directly with a chlorine wash has to be rinsed afterward with clean drinking water, so leftover chlorine stays within drinking-water limits.
Texas says Sprouts misted organic greens with ProduceMaxx right on the display, and never told shoppers they needed to rinse them before eating.
Sprouts agreed to go further than Albertsons
Texas started looking into grocery chains in late 2025.
In May, Albertsons agreed to stop misting organic produce in its Texas stores. That covers Tom Thumb, Randall's, Market Street, and United. It also agreed to rinse organic produce with plain water after any ProduceMaxx treatment. Albertsons also denied doing anything wrong.
Then on September 21, Sprouts went further. It agreed to stop misting ProduceMaxx on all produce, organic or not, in every store in the country. It also agreed to stop using any synthetic germ-killing spray on organic produce. The changes kick in within 90 days after a court signs off on the deal.
Sprouts denies breaking any rules
Sprouts denied doing anything wrong. It says its products are safe and its use of ProduceMaxx met the rules. A group that certifies products for organic farms has approved ProduceMaxx. Its maker told a 2024 fact check that the mist is watered down to the chlorine limit for drinking water, and that the rinse rule doesn't cover store misting lines. But the maker's own label says organic produce needs a clean-water rinse after treatment.
The settlement resolves Texas's claims without Sprouts admitting any wrongdoing.
Here's what still stands. We couldn't find any federal rule that says a store has to tell you what's in the mist. The Sprouts deal covers one chain. The Albertsons deal covers one state.
What to do
Rinse loose produce under running water before you eat it. Bagged greens labeled prewashed or ready to eat can be used as-is, per the FDA.
Ask the produce manager one question: "Is the mist plain water or a wash like ProduceMaxx?" If they don't know, assume it's treated.
Buy greens from the bagged or boxed case, or from a farmers market, when you want produce no store mist has touched.
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