In 2018, 4.5% of foods tested in EU contain pesticide levels exceeding maximum residue level (MRL), according to the latest annual report on pesticide residues found in food in the EU by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The report is based on data from the official national control activities carried out by EU member states, Iceland and Norway and includes both targeted and random sampling.

A total of 91,015 samples were analysed in 2018, 95.5% of which fell within legally permitted levels.

ADVERTISEMENT

For the 4.5% to exceed MRLs, 2.7% were non-compliant, that is samples exceeding the MRL after taking into account the measurement uncertainty.

Control programme

For the subset of 11,679 samples analysed as part of the EU-coordinated control programme (random collection), 98.6% of samples were within legal limits.

Between 2015 and 2018, the proportion of samples with residue exceedances increased in bananas (from 0.5% to 1.7%), sweet peppers (1.2% to 2.4%), aubergines (0.6% to 1.6%) and table grapes (1.8% to 2.6%).

On the other hand, exceedances fell in 2018 compared with 2015 for broccoli (from 3.7% to 2%), virgin olive oil (0.9% to 0.6%) and chicken eggs (0.2% to 0.1%).

Table grapes and sweet peppers/bell peppers were among the food products that most frequently exceeded the MRLs.

The report gives a snapshot of the presence of pesticide residues in food in the EU and any possible risk to consumer health.

Risk to human health

The EFSA carried out a dietary risk assessment as part of its analysis of the results. This suggested that the food commodities analysed in 2018 are unlikely to pose a concern for consumer health.

However, a number of recommendations are proposed to increase the efficiency of European control systems, thereby continuing to ensure a high level of consumer protection.