The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reported that pesticide residues in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables are increasingly exceeding permitted levels, with imported food testing showing excessive levels of pesticides three times more often than EU-grown produce, writes Politico.
According to the EFSA report for 2024 published on the 5th of May, the vast majority of European-grown produce complies with requirements, with around 99% of samples passing EFSA’s pesticide residue tests. Imported food did not fare so well, meaning discussions will be held in Brussels about how rigorously imported products are tested.
While EFSA has stressed that the overall risk to consumers is low, it has revealed that sweet peppers, for example, were found to have pesticide levels exceeding permitted levels twice as often as in 2018. Grapes and extra virgin olive oil are also heading in this direction, and even chicken eggs that met the requirements two years ago have now been found to contain pesticide residues.
True, the amount of non-compliant food is very small compared to the total amount. Of the 39,433 samples tested in 2024, 3.6% were declared unfit for consumption and never reached store shelves. Leading the list of products that do not meet EU requirements were cumin from India, tomatoes and pomegranates from Turkey, and green tea from China and Vietnam.
The latest statistics come after years of farmers’ protests that imported products are subject to lower standards,
thus encouraging unfair competition. The European Commission pledged last year to step up border checks as part of its new agricultural and food strategy, and a task force on import controls was also set up in January.
Most of the cases where pesticide residues have been found in increased amounts in EU-grown produce have involved ethephon, which is used to ripen peppers and bananas, although it is not authorised for such use. Other pesticides that have been found more frequently include the insecticide flonicamid and the herbicide glufosinate. These are authorised in the EU, but were found to be present in excess of the permitted levels in the products concerned.
EFSA stressed that the risk to health is low, with the permitted levels well below what would be considered harmful, and that infringements do not necessarily mean that the product is unsafe to eat.
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