{"id":39548,"date":"2026-06-17T13:53:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biocontroltechnologies.com\/2026\/06\/17\/more-pesticide-residues-higher-risk-what-the-efsa-report-reveals\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:34:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:34:05","slug":"pesticide-residues-food-efsa-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biocontroltechnologies.com\/en\/2026\/06\/17\/pesticide-residues-food-efsa-report\/","title":{"rendered":"More Pesticide Residues, Higher Risk: What the EFSA Report Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Pesticide residues in food:<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The new EFSA report confirms a trend in the agricultural sector we cannot ignore<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1 in 3 food samples in Europe contain multiple pesticides. We break down the key data and the role of biological control as an alternative. <\/em><\/p>

Every year, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)<\/strong> publishes its report on pesticide residues in food. This report is the most reliable barometer Europe has for assessing the state of food safety. Based on 2024 data and published in March 2026, it analyses over 125,000 food samples collected across all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, providing a detailed picture of which substances are detected, in which food products they are found, and how often legal limits are exceeded. <\/p>

Before diving into the data, it is worth asking a question that consumers rarely consider: if a food item contains residues of four, five or even ten different pesticides, all below their individual maximum limits, does that mean it is safe?<\/p>

European legislation assesses each residue in isolation. However, the reality on the plate is very different: foods do not typically contain a single residue \u2014 it is very common for them to contain mixtures. This paradox between what the regulation measures and what the consumer ingests is one of the warning signs this report puts back on the table. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The report's findings: multiple residues on the rise<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The EU-coordinated multiannual control programme (EU MACP) analyzed a total of 9,842 samples in 2024, covering 12 of the most widely consumed products by European citizens, including aubergines<\/strong>, grapefruits<\/strong>, sweet peppers<\/strong>, table<\/strong> grapes<\/b>, among others. The results confirm a trend already observed in previous cycles \u2014 one that should prompt serious reflection across the entire agri-food sector. <\/p>

Of the total samples analyzed under the EU MACP, 56.9% contained quantifiable residues, a 15% increase compared to 2021, when the figure stood at 41.9%. But the most significant finding concerns multiple residues<\/strong>: 34.9% of samples from the coordinated programme contained more than one quantified pesticide, compared to 27% recorded in 2021. This represents an increase of nearly 8 percentage points in a single three-year cycle. The crops with the highest frequency of multiple residues were table grapes, with 78% of samples affected, grapefruits at 73.5%, and bananas at 66.1%. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The most extreme case was a sweet pepper sample of Turkish origin in which 17 different pesticides were quantified. Although all active substances were below their respective Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs)<\/strong>, they were all simultaneously present in a single product.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Within the scope of national monitoring programmes (MANCP), oranges, strawberries and apples are also ranked among the foods with the highest frequency of multiple active substance residues.<\/p>

These figures are not statistical abstractions. They illustrate that the problem does not lie in the use of any single pesticide, but in the accumulation of substances on a single food item. The trend is upward and consistent through the latest monitoring cycles. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Legal limits are increasingly exceeded in key crops<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The MRL<\/strong> is the maximum concentration level of a pesticide residue legally permitted in a food product, established under Regulation (EC) No 396\/2005 and based on good agricultural practices. Health-based guidance values (HBGV<\/strong>s), including the acute reference dose (ARfD<\/strong>) and acceptable daily intake (ADI<\/strong>), are used to assess whether detected levels pose a real risk to consumers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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LMR exceedance rate in 2018<\/div>\t\t\t
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MRL exceedance rate in 2024<\/div>\t\t\t
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Beyond the issue of multiple pesticide residues, the EFSA report reveals a finding that creates a technical and commercial urgency that is hard to ignore: the overall MRL exceedance rate in the coordinated programme has risen from 1.4% in 2018 to 2.1% in 2021 and 2.4% in 2024.<\/strong><\/p>

When the data is broken down by individual products, the negative trend becomes more apparent. The majority of monitored horticultural and fruit crops show MRL exceedance rates higher than in 2018, with sweet peppers and table grapes leading the sharpest increases. Only melons and bananas show slightly lower rates, although melons rebounded in 2024 compared to 2021. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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