In this blog we have previously commented on the results of EFSA surveillance on the presence of pesticides (also called pesticides) in food in European countries, given that it is a topic that always arouses interest. And since the latest report with data from 2019 has just been published, below I summarize the main conclusions.
In the coordinated global program, of about 12,000 samples, these were the results:
- 53% of the samples did not present any trace of pesticide.
- 45% of the samples showed pesticide residues below the permitted limits.
- 2% of the samples exceeded the permitted limits.
The national programs totaled some 96,000 samples and their overall results were the following:
- 96.1% of the samples presented pesticide residues below the limits.
- 3.9% of the samples exceeded the permitted limits.
The foods in which the highest percentage of non-compliance was detected were the following: grape leaves, yardlong beans, coriander leaves, chili peppers, watercress, passion fruit, pitahaya (dragon fruit), celery leaves, pomegranates, basil and edible flowers, teas, cassava/cassava root and prickly pear.
In the case of baby food, with more than 1,500 samples, these were the results:
- 97.8% of the samples will not present any trace.
- 0.9% presented residues below the permitted limits.
- 1.3% of samples exceeded the limits.
From the perspective of the level of processing, non-compliance was more frequent among unprocessed foods (4%) than among processed foods (2.8%).
Regarding the presence of glyphosate, – I mention it because it is a very popular and controversial pesticide – in 97% its presence was not detected, in 2.7% it was detected below the limits and only in 0.1% of samples exceeded limits.
In the case of organic products, with more than 6,000 samples, the results were the following:
- 86.9% of the samples did not present any trace.
- 11.8% of the samples presented remained below the permitted limits.
- 1.3% of the samples exceeded the limits.
Regarding the conventional-ecological comparison, the report says the following: «Compared to conventionally produced foods, non-compliance levels and samples with residues tend to be generally lower in organic foods. However, with respect to animal products, in 2019 this trend has changed resulting in a higher incidence of samples with measurable residues (…) in organic samples (15%) than in conventionally produced samples (6%).»
And the following graph is included of the percentages of conventional and organic samples in which residues have been found, below the limit (left and upper scale) and above (right and lower scale), for some food groups:
Based on all these results, the report concludes the following:
«The findings suggest that the residue levels of the food products analyzed are unlikely to pose any concern for consumer health. (…).»
The report is freely accessible, so is 100% availablee for those who may be interested in delving into some information.
