The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an annual report looking at pesticide residue levels in food.
The EFSA carried out a dietary risk assessment as part of its analysis of the results. This shows the probability that consumers will be exposed to a quantity of residues above a certain safety threshold. The agency concluded there is a low risk to consumer health from the estimated exposure to pesticide residues in the foods tested.
The Multiannual National Control Program (MANCP) part gathers data from targeted sampling, based on the level of risk. These national programs provided 132,793 samples and 98 percent were compliant with EU legislation. Compliance rates for 2021 and 2022 were 97.5 percent and 97.8 percent, respectively.
In 2023, 58 percent of samples did not contain quantifiable residues, while 38.3 percent had residues within legal limits. The maximum residue level (MRL) was exceeded in almost 5,000 samples, of which 2,694 were non-compliant, after accounting for measurement uncertainty, and led to legal sanctions or enforcement action. On average, 249 different pesticide residues were analyzed per sample.
The non-compliance rate in samples from other countries was three times higher than the rate from reporting countries. The main countries from which non-compliant products were found were Turkey, India and Egypt. Most of these consignments were stopped at the border.
According to the report, up to 37 pesticides were reported in a sample of chili peppers from Cambodia. This item was deemed non-compliant and the product lot was destroyed.
Ethylene oxide, a pesticide not approved in Europe, was analyzed in 3,651 samples. In 40 samples the MRL was exceeded and 24 samples led to non-compliant results. Of those, 13 samples originated in India and four in Turkey. A decrease in notifications was observed compared to 2022.
In 48 samples of foods for infants and young children the MRL was exceeded, of which nine were non-compliant when taking measurement uncertainty into account. Substances most frequently found to exceed the MRL were copper compounds and chlorates. Chlorate findings likely occur after sanitization practices in the food chain and are not due to pesticide use.
The number of honey samples with pesticide residues above the MRLs was 30, of which 21 were non-compliant when accounting for measurement uncertainty. In total, 23 different pesticides were reported. The most frequent quantified ones were acetamiprid, amitraz, and boscalid.
Tracking trends
EFSA also analyzed the results of 13,246 random samples taken by member states, Norway, and Iceland from 12 of the most consumed products in Europe as part of the EU-coordinated control program. This program samples the same commodities every three years to track trends. For 2023 these were carrots, cauliflower, kiwi fruits, onions, oranges, pears, potatoes, dried beans, brown rice, rye, bovine liver and poultry fat. A total of 197 pesticides were covered.
Overall, 70 percent were free of quantifiable levels of residues, while 28 percent contained one or more residues within legal limits. MRLs were exceeded in 246 samples, of which 135 were non-compliant after taking into account measurement uncertainty.
In dried beans, the pesticides contributing the most to a MRL exceedance were fosetyl, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos. Only glyphosate had an authorized use in this food. For brown rice, pesticides mainly contributing to a MRL exceedance were tricyclazole, propiconazole, imidacloprid, and chlormequat chloride. None of these substances are allowed in rice in the EU. EFSA recommended including dried beans and brown rice in control programs.
Of the 31 non-compliances in dried beans, samples from Argentina and Madagascar had the highest rate. From 45 results leading to non-compliances in rice, the highest rate came from Indian and Pakistan samples. Of 135 non-compliant samples, 42.2 percent were of EU origin while 54.8 percent were from outside the European market and this was unknown for 3 percent.
The highest number of multiple residues were found in two samples of pears, one of which was grown in the EU, where 14 different pesticides were quantified, all below the MRL values. The other, was grown in another country where 14 different pesticides were quantified, one of which led to a non-compliant result and the lot was not released to the market.
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