2022 EU Report on Pesticide Residues in Food
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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