Is imidacloprid pesticide on produce harmful to the liver?

What's actually in it

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used on fruits and vegetables. It's systemic, meaning it's absorbed throughout the plant and can't be washed off the way surface pesticides can. You eat it when you eat the produce. It's detected in food monitoring data across many countries.

Neonicotinoids were designed to be less acutely toxic to mammals than older pesticides, but long-term, low-dose effects on mammalian physiology are now being studied.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Res exposed animals to imidacloprid at population-relevant doses (similar to what food monitoring data suggests humans actually consume). They found hepatic lipid dysregulation: the liver's fat metabolism was disrupted. The findings are consistent with early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathology.

Imidacloprid can't be washed off produce because it's inside the plant. Peeling doesn't help with systemic pesticides. Choosing organic is the only reliable way to avoid it on the most heavily treated crops.

Store all produce and food in glass food storage to avoid adding plastic chemical exposure on top of pesticide residue concerns.