The number of foods containing multiple pesticide residues is on the rise, according to the latest report of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), published on Thursday 2 April, on the summary of the results of official controls carried out by Member States, Iceland and Norway in 2018 and of the EU-coordinated monitoring programme (EUCP).
Of the 91,015 samples analysed, 43,542 (47.8%) contained one or more pesticides in quantifiable concentrations. Multiple residues were reported in 26,461 samples (29.1% compared to 27.5% in 2017) and in an individual sample of goji berry from China, up to 29 different pesticides were reported.
But 98.6% of the samples analysed in the EUCP were within legal limits and were not likely to pose a problem for consumer health, according to EFSA.
For glyphosate, the percentage exceedance of maximum residue limits (MRLs) increased from 0.2% in 2017 to 0.1% in 2018. The highest overrun rate was for dry lentils, as in 2017.
The section on randomly collected data covers the same basket of commodities over a three-year rotation, allowing for the identification of upward or downward trends for specific commodities.
It shows, for example, that between 2015 and 2018 the proportion of samples with residue exceedances increased for bananas (from 0.5 % to 1.7 %), sweet peppers (from 1.2 % to 2.4 %), aubergines (from 0.6 % to 1.6 %) and table grapes (from 1.8 % to 2.6 %). On the other hand, in 2018 compared to 2015, the exceedances decreased for broccoli (from 3.7% to 2%), virgin olive oil (from 0.9% to 0.6%) and hen eggs (from 0.2% to 0.1%).
To view the EFSA report: http://bit.ly/2UAAx3A (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)