Fewer pesticide residues in food from Germany
Half of all foods without measurable residues, significant differences depending on origin and variety
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Food in Germany rarely contains residues of plant protection products above the applicable maximum residue levels. This is shown by the "National Reporting on Pesticide Residues in Food 2024" published by the Federal Office of consumer protection and food safety (BVL). A total of 16,423 food samples were tested for such residues. Compared to the previous year, the proportion of samples without quantifiable, i.e. measurable and quantifiable residues has increased by 10%. Half of the samples tested had no quantifiable residues.
"The variety itself and the origin of the product are decisive factors," says BVL President Professor Gaby-Fleur Böl. In maize and asparagus, for example, residues of plant protection products were only quantified in a small proportion of samples. In grapefruit and cherries, on the other hand, residues were measurable in the majority of samples. However, even in foods with quantifiable residues, hardly any or no exceedances of the maximum residue levels were detected in frequently consumed foods such as tomatoes, potatoes or apples in 2024. Most exceedances (in foods with at least 100 samples tested) were found in mangoes (16.3%), paprika fruit spices (11.7%) and kale (8.4%).
Differences depending on the origin
"We have seen for years that the origin of the products has a major influence on whether and to what extent pesticide residues are detectable," says Professor Böl. While only 1.0% of the products sampled from Germany and 1.5% of the samples from other EU countries exceeded the applicable maximum residue levels, this proportion is 6.7% for products from non-EU countries. However, there is also a positive trend here: "In 2024, products from third countries will have 1.8% fewer exceedances than in the previous year." The rate for products from Germany and other EU member states has remained almost constant. 80.1% of samples from organic farming did not contain any quantifiable residues, compared to 45.9% of conventional products.
Multiple residues
Plant protection agents used today have a targeted effect on certain pests. Different specific pesticides are therefore used depending on the infestation situation. Changing active ingredients is also necessary to prevent resistance from developing, meaning that certain pests can no longer be controlled. As in previous years, more than one active ingredient was therefore detected in around a third of all samples tested, as expected. In some foodstuffs with more than 100 samples tested, at least three quarters of the samples showed multiple residues. This mainly concerned cherries, grapefruits, pears, rocket, table grapes, strawberries, oranges, apricots, apples, parsley, bananas, blueberries, peppers, mangoes, plums, melons, lemons, cucumbers, broccoli, beans with pods, tomatoes, eggplants, kale and teas.
Background
Residues of plant protection products in food are only permitted if they do not exceed the applicable maximum residue levels and are therefore harmless to health. Conversely, exceeding the established maximum residue level does not mean that there is a health risk for consumers. A maximum level is set on the basis of the amount of residues that can be expected when the plant protection product is used properly. There must be no risk to health. Therefore, the maximum residue levels can be well below the level of health concern.
The food samples examined in the laboratories of the official food monitoring authorities of the federal states originate from predominantly risk-oriented inspections. In 2024, 16,359 samples were tested for 1,064 different substances in more than 6.3 million analyses.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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