EFSA: low levels of pesticides in EU food

The latest European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report on pesticide residues in food in the European Union was published on 26 April 2023. The report provides a snapshot of residue levels found in a selection of commonly consumed products. 

A total of 87,863 food samples were collected in the European Union in 2021. Analysis of the results showed that 96.1% of the samples were within the legally permitted levels. For the subset of 13,845 samples analysed under the EU coordinated control programme (EU MACP), 97.9% were within legal limits.

12 different foods

The EU MACP analyses randomly taken samples of 12 foods, including aubergines, bananas, broccoli, cultivated fungi, grapefruits, melons, peppers, table grapes, virgin olive oil, wheat, beef fat and chicken eggs. Of the samples analysed in the coordinated programme, 58.1% were found to be free of quantifiable levels of residues. 39.8% contained one or more residues at concentrations below or equal to permitted levels (known as maximum residue levels, or MRLs) and 2.1% contained residues that exceeded permitted levels.

MRL exceeded

The overall percentage in which pesticide residues exceeded the MRL rose from 1.4% in 2018 to 2.1% in 2021. With the exception of grapefruits, the average MRL exceedance rate in 2021 was 1.4%, the same as in 2018. In 2021, member states drew attention to the higher presence of pesticide residues in grapefruits imported from outside the EU and in the same year, the European Commission tightened border controls.

The results of the monitoring programmes are a valuable source of information for estimating the dietary exposure of EU consumers to pesticide residues. EFSA conducted a risk assessment as part of its analysis of the results. This year also saw the first introduction of a pilot probabilistic assessment of a subset of substances.

Problem for health

According to the report, the foods analysed in 2021 are unlikely to pose a problem to consumer health. But the report does contain a number of recommendations to increase the effectiveness of European pesticide residue monitoring systems.

Efsa.europa.eu