19/05/2025 (Agence Europe) – PAN Europe is concerned about the doubling of pesticide cocktails in European food in 2023, compared to 2000. The number of contaminated food samples has remained “virtually unchanged since 2000”. A recent study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revealed that 42% of food sold in Europe contains pesticide residues. The fact that 96.3% of samples remain within current legal limits “is far from reassuring”, according to PAN Europe, given that “official safety thresholds are based on old studies and on the outdated assumption that people are exposed to only one pesticide at a time”. According to Angeliki Lysimachou of PAN Europe, “the science is clear: chemical cocktails can have serious effects”. PAN Europe is calling for the immediate application of a Mixture Assessment Factor (MAF) to reduce authorised exposure limits. (FS)