<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On April 23, 2024, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the EU 2022 report on pesticide residues in food<\/a>. 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) <\/strong>and national control programs (MANCP<\/a>)<\/strong>, totaling 110,829 food samples<\/strong>. Of these, 11,727 samples were part of the EU MACP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analysis of the results shows that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The EU MACP randomly sampled the most consumed food products in Europe<\/strong> 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\u2019s milk, and swine fat. These products are analyzed periodically as part of a 3-year cycle, with previous assessments conducted in 2016 and 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the subset of 11,727 samples analyzed for 193 pesticide residues as part of the EU\u2019s coordinated control program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The overall rate at which pesticide residues exceeded the MRL decreased from 1.9% in 2019 to 1.6% in 2022<\/strong>. Notably, MRL exceedance rates from 2016 to 2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reporting countries indicated that, on average, 66.7% of the samples were domestic products<\/strong>, 22% came from other EU countries<\/strong>, 7.7% from third countries<\/strong>, and 3.6% were of unknown origin<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the 2022 monitoring programs show that most EU subpopulation groups have very low dietary exposure to pesticide residues<\/strong> with available health-based guidance values (HBGVs). Thus, the risk to EU consumers\u2019 health remains low. However, we can still refine assessments for specific pesticide\/product combinations that exceeded these values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focus on Imported Samples<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specific Active Substances & High-Risk Combinations<\/p>\n\n\n\n Animal Commodities Monitoring<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monitoring of High Residue Foods<\/p>\n\n\n\n Processed Food Commodities<\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-Authorized Substances in Organic Farming<\/p>\n\n\n\n Development of Analytical Methods<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2022 EU Report on Pesticide Residues in Food: Key Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sampling Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Residue Distribution<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trend Analysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Country & Product Analysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHealth & Safety Assessments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRecommendations to Enhance European Control Systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n