On April 23, 2024, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the EU 2022 report on pesticide residues in food. This report gathers data from official national control activities conducted by EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway. It includes results from both the EU-coordinated control program (EU MACP) and national control programs (MANCP), totaling 110,829 food samples. Of these, 11,727 samples were part of the EU MACP.

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2022 EU Report on Pesticide Residues in Food: Key Findings

Analysis of the results shows that:

• 96.3% (106,681 samples) of the samples fell below the maximum residue levels (MRL).
• 3.7% (4,148 samples) exceeded the MRL, with 2.2% (2,383 samples) deemed non-compliant, i.e., exceeding the MRL after accounting for measurement uncertainty.

Sampling Details

The EU MACP randomly sampled the most consumed food products in Europe and analyzed these samples. The selected food products for 2022 included apples, strawberries, peaches (including nectarines and similar hybrids), wine (red and white), lettuces, head cabbages, tomatoes, spinach, oat grain, barley grain, cow’s milk, and swine fat. These products are analyzed periodically as part of a 3-year cycle, with previous assessments conducted in 2016 and 2019.

Residue Distribution

For the subset of 11,727 samples analyzed for 193 pesticide residues as part of the EU’s coordinated control program:

• 98.4% of the samples were below the MRL.
  • 51.4% (6,023 samples) showed no quantifiable levels of residues (residues < LOQ).
  • 47.0% (5,512 samples) contained residues at or below the MRL.
• 1.6 % (192 samples) exceed the MRL, with 0.9% (100 samples) considered non-compliant based on measurement uncertainty.

Trend Analysis

The overall rate at which pesticide residues exceeded the MRL decreased from 1.9% in 2019 to 1.6% in 2022. Notably, MRL exceedance rates from 2016 to 2019:

• Exceedance rates decreased in apples, peaches, strawberries, wine, spinach, and swine fat.
• Rates remained unchanged in cow’s milk, indicating no MRL exceedances.
• Rates increased in head cabbages, and were higher in tomatoes and lettuces in 2022 compared to 2019, though still lower than in 2016.
• Rates increased in barley and oat grain from 2019 to 2022.

Country & Product Analysis

Reporting countries indicated that, on average, 66.7% of the samples were domestic products, 22% came from other EU countries, 7.7% from third countries, and 3.6% were of unknown origin. Organic food products generally showed lower quantification and MRL exceedance rates compared to conventionally produced foods, except in animal products and cereals. This trend is largely attributed to the use of copper, an element authorized in organic farming and also used in applications such as feed supplements and fertilizers.

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Health & Safety Assessments

Overall, the 2022 monitoring programs show that most EU subpopulation groups have very low dietary exposure to pesticide residues with available health-based guidance values (HBGVs). Thus, the risk to EU consumers’ health remains low. However, we can still refine assessments for specific pesticide/product combinations that exceeded these values.

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Recommendations to Enhance European Control Systems

EFSA proposes several measures to improve the effectiveness of European control systems and continue ensuring a high level of consumer protection across the EU. These include maintaining rigorous sampling, expanding the scope of analysis, and clarifying the reasons behind the findings to ensure compliance and safety.General Compliance & Sampling

• EFSA urges reporting countries to ensure they meet the minimum number of samples specified in Annex II of the EU MACP Regulations for the 12 designated food commodities, as well as for specific provisions on baby food and organic products.
• Countries should continue to monitor and clarify the reasons for findings in pesticide/crop combinations. Specific non-compliant combinations that need further investigation include:
  • Spinach: dithiocarbamates (RD)
  • Tomatoes: chlorfenapyr (RD)
  • Lettuces: thiophanate-methyl (RD)
  • Barley: prochloraz (RD)
  • Head cabbages: fluazifop (RD)

Focus on Imported Samples

• A notable discrepancy exists in compliance rates between domestic and imported products, with imported samples showing a fourfold higher non-compliance rate (4.5%) compared to those produced within the EU (1%). National authorities should intensify monitoring of pesticide residues in imported samples with a broad analytical scope.

Specific Active Substances & High-Risk Combinations

• EFSA notes high MRL exceedance rates for substances like copper, ethylene oxide, and chlordecone, particularly:
  • Copper compounds in buckwheat and other pseudo-cereals from third countries, and in animal matrices such as sheep and bovine liver and honey from the EU, and in baby food.
  • Ethylene oxide in turmeric/curcuma, chilli peppers, peppercorn, and dried beans, mostly from India.
  • Chlordecone in bovine fat and cassava roots from French overseas territories.

Animal Commodities Monitoring

• Besides copper and chlordecone, substances like BAC and DDAC used for disinfection have led to MRL exceedances in animal products such as bovine milk and muscle, swine liver, swine fat, and muscle of other farmed terrestrial animals. Honey continues to show high numbers of quantified pesticides. Continued monitoring of these substances, especially in honey and other apicultural products, is crucial.

Monitoring of High Residue Foods

• Foods with the highest frequency of multiple residues include unprocessed sweet peppers, table grapes, strawberries, apples, peaches, tomatoes, oranges, lemons, pears, lettuce, and mandarins. EFSA recommends continued monitoring of these foodstuffs.

Processed Food Commodities

• Reporting countries should consider enhancing the monitoring of pesticide residues in processed food commodities. Frequent detections of multiple residues were noted in raisins, red wine, cumin seeds, grape leaves, paprika powder, and polished rice.

Non-Authorized Substances in Organic Farming

• Sporadic findings of non-authorized substances like chlorpyrifos and propiconazole in samples labeled as organic from third countries necessitate stricter controls and monitoring.

Development of Analytical Methods

• Mérieux NutriSciences offers a wide range of services, including testing, to food manufacturers for the quantification of pesticide residues. This ensures compliance with regulations and adherence to quality standards.

Solutions for export compliance from the origin to the destination

Mérieux NutriSciences provides a wide range of services (including testing) to food manufacturers for pesticide quantification, guaranteeing their compliance with regulations and quality standards.