Share of food samples containing pesticide residue above legal limit in Europe 2021
The European country with the highest share of import control samples above the the maximum residue limit (MRL) was Cyprus, with 17.07 percent of the samples exceeding the legal limit. This means that more than one out of six food samples imported from Cyprus had too much pesticide residue. Cyprus was followed by Portugal, Estonia, Slovakia, Belgium, and Croatia as the countries with the highest rates of samples above the MRL. In contrast, the country with the lowest share of samples above the MRL was Lithuania, with only 0.53 percent of the samples exceeding the legal limit.
Pesticide residues are the traces of chemicals that remain in or on food after they are used to protect crops from pests and diseases. They can pose health risks to consumers if they exceed the MRL, which is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated by the European Union (EU) regulations.
Pesticide residues are the traces of chemicals that remain in or on food after they are used to protect crops from pests and diseases. They can pose health risks to consumers if they exceed the MRL, which is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated by the European Union (EU) regulations.
