Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a settlement via Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Albertsons Safeway LLC, prohibiting the company from misting organic produce with synthetic pesticides like ProduceMaxx in all Texas stores. The settlement requires Albertsons-owned grocery chains to stop using synthetic antimicrobial pesticides in misting systems on organic produce and implement potable water rinses for organic produce after any prior treatments. The action follows an investigation launched in January 2026 into undisclosed pesticide use on USDA-certified organic produce.
Albertsons-owned grocery stores in Texas must immediately stop using ProduceMaxx or any other synthetic antimicrobial pesticide in misting systems on organic produce. Stores must also require employees to perform a potable water rinse on all organic produce after any ProduceMaxx treatment. The settlement is formalized via a legally binding Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC).
In-house legal teams at grocery retail chains should review produce supplier agreements to add explicit prohibitions on synthetic pesticide use, including in misting systems, for USDA-certified organic produce, and require suppliers to provide written certification of compliance with organic labeling standards. Vendor agreements with misting system providers should be updated to ban the use of unapproved antimicrobial pesticides like ProduceMaxx on organic produce. Additionally, customer-facing marketing and labeling clauses should be reviewed to ensure accurate disclosures of all chemical treatments applied to organic produce, and employee training agreements should include requirements for proper rinsing of organic produce post-treatment.
Entity
Albertsons Safeway LLC
Industry
RetailOfficial Press Release
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-historic-settlement-grocery-store-chains-across-texas-stopping
AVC A
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/AVC%20A.pdf
Texas Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/privacy
"Albertsons Safeway LLC (“Albertsons”), the parent company of over ten different grocery stores chains"
"May 19, 2026 | Press Release"
"across the entire state of Texas"
"Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a settlement with Albertsons Safeway LLC"
"stop using ProduceMaxx or any other synthetic antimicrobial pesticide in misting systems on organic produce"
"signed an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (“AVC”)"
$3.0M
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a settlement requiring Temu to protect Texans’ sensitive personal data from exposure to the Chinese Communist Party and to strengthen product-safety practices. Temu must pay Texas $3 million, comply with data-security requirements backed by a potential $8 million annual penalty, conduct annual independent product testing, and take specified action on products found to contain harmful substances.
$773.0M
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that a multistate coalition had secured an opioid settlement with Albertsons, which would require the grocery chain to pay more than $773 million nationally once final. Texas and its political subdivisions may receive up to $57.8 million for opioid abatement; the release does not identify privacy violations.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Gerber Products Company and Nestlé USA, Inc., alleging that Gerber made deceptive safety and testing claims while its baby food contained dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals. The lawsuit asserts claims under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act; the release does not report a settlement, monetary penalty, or court order.
$1.5M
The Texas Attorney General obtained a judgment holding Rubinsky Roofing LLC liable for 27 violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, including deceptive practices involving older consumers and payment for unnecessary or unfinished repairs. The judgment requires more than $1.5 million in civil penalties, allocates at least $500,000 to consumer restitution, and permanently bars the company and its owner from the practices at issue.
The Texas Attorney General opened an investigation into UnitedHealth Group over allegations that its insurance-benefit administration and patient-care decisions denied Texans medically necessary healthcare. The AG issued Civil Investigative Demands to collect evidence; the release announces no penalty or remedy.
$7.5M
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a $7.5 million settlement with Tris Pharmaceuticals over alleged misrepresentations about the efficacy of Dyanavel XR, an ADHD drug marketed for children. The release says the company overstated the drug’s efficacy and directed sales representatives to make misleading claims to doctors, including Medicaid providers.