Pesticides, 1% of agricultural produce in Europe exceeds warning levels

Only 1% of agricultural products in Europe exceed the warning levels for pesticide exposure: the risk to human health is therefore considered 'low'. Word of Efsa, the Parma-based food safety authority, which has also published a report this year as part of the three-year programme coordinated by the EU.

Carrots, cauliflower, kiwifruit (green, red and yellow), onions, oranges, pears, potatoes, dried beans, brown rice, rye, bovine liver and poultry fat: twelve food products were analysed, considered to be among the top sellers on the market. The 13,246 'random' samples came from an extended territorial spectrum (Member States, plus Norway and Iceland) and 99% of the products were found to 'comply with European legislation'.

The results obtained by the Food Safety Authority - consistent, moreover, with those obtained in 2020, when the same selection was sampled - are particularly relevant at a crucial time for the sustainability dossier in Brussels: the new Vision presented (together with Vice-President Raffaele Fitto) by the new Commissioner Hansen marks a decisive change of pace compared to the turn of events on plant protection products outlined by his predecessor Timmermans during the Green Deal.

The Parma Authority also publishes an interactive tool that allows users to consult the data by means of graphs and diagrams, from which the detail is clear: 70% of the samples do not have quantifiable levels of residues, 28% contain one or more residues within the legal limits. Maximum residue levels (the so-called 'lmr') were exceeded in 2% of the samples, but within this percentage, 1% of the samples are not considered 'compliant' for measurement.

The report also includes the results of the multi-annual national control programmes, which collect data from targeted sampling according to risk level. These programmes provided 132,793 samples, 98% of which complied with European legislation. The compliance rates in 2021 and 2022 were 97.5% and 97.8% respectively. Of the 2023 samples, 58% contained no quantifiable residues, while 38.3% contained residues within legal limits and 3.7% exceeded lmr, of which 2% were non-compliant.