Shareholders Push Target to Address Toxic Pesticides at Annual Meeting

Proposal demonstrates investors’ rising concern over health, biodiversity, and financial risks tied to pesticide use. 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, at Target’s [NYSE: TGT] Annual General Meeting (AGM), shareholders weighed a proposal that would commit the company to actions aimed at reducing the use of toxic pesticides in its supply chain. Though the proposal did not pass, its introduction is a signal that investors increasingly see pesticides as a material business risk that must be addressed.  

The shareholder proposal highlighted the harms associated with pesticide dependence in Target’s food and beverage supply chains, including devastating impacts on human health, the climate, soil health, and pollinators. Shareholders also warned in the proposal that pesticides threaten the stability of food supply chains and pose growing financial risks to Target’s business. The U.S> food retail sector faces a staggering $219 billion in risks related to pesticide use, according to a reent Friends of the Earth U.S. report.

“Target’s investors are recognizing that widespread toxic pesticide use is not just an environmental and public health crisis — it’s also material to Target’s business,” said Sarah Starman, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “Consumers and shareholders alike are demanding safer food and more resilient farming systems. Target should listen and take immediate, measurable action to reduce toxic pesticides to protect people, pollinators, and the ecosystems our food system depends on.”  

In a statement given at the AGM, one investor pointed to investigations led by Friends of the Earth that have found an alarming number of pesticide residues in baby food manufactured and sold under Target’s house brand, Good & Gather. Recent lab tests of two items — the Apple Fruit Purée and Pear Fruit Purée for babies — revealed the presence of 29 pesticides, including 16 classified as highly hazardous to human health or the environment, 10 that are banned in the European Union, one that is banned in the U.S., and give that are PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Since 2024, Friends of the Earth and more than 40 other environmental and public health organizations across the country have been calling on Target to address pesticide use in its supply chain. Target has not taken meaningful action in response to these calls.  

Target is lagging behind other food retailers when it comes to taking action on pesticides. The Kroger Company (NYSE: KR), Whole Foods (NASDAQ: AMZN), Walmart (NYSE: WMT), Meijer (NASDAQ: MYE), and Giant Eagle have created  policies, informed by Friends of the Earth’s Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard, that include time bound commitments aimed at reducing pesticide use in their fresh produce supply chains. While Target has created a policy, it does not include specific metrics for transitioning away from pesticide use, advancing safer methods of farming like organic agriculture, or a timeline for implementation. 

Organic farming has numerous benefits, including prohibiting over 900 pesticides used in conventional agriculture. An organic diet can rapidly and dramatically reduce people’s exposure to pesticides. Decades of research also shows that organic farms, on average, improve soil health, protect biodiversity like essential pollinators, and support human health and community wellbeing. 

Expert contact: Sarah Starman, 734-657-5251, [email protected] 
Media contact: Lindsay Tice, 202-783-7400, ext. 8403, [email protected]