Fact checked, 8 min read

Pesticides in food


An analysis report by the Spanish Agency for Food Security and Nutrition (AESAN) found that up to 40% of all food sold in Spain may contain traces of pesticides (1). AESAN’s most recent report published in April 2023, from data as from 2021, found that fruits and vegetables were by far the most contaminated foods, with 121 of the 123 total pesticides detected in the sampled produce. 43% of the fruits and vegetables analysed were found to contain pesticides, and although pesticides are a normal part of commercial agriculture, ‘normal’ does not necessarily mean it is problem-free!

Organophosphate pesticides
Additionally, a worrying 46 of the substances detected in food had been banned in the European Union, one of them being Chlorpyrifos ethyl, an organophosphate pesticide that has been used on crops to kill insects and worms, which was removed from the EU’s list of approved pesticides in 2020 after experts concluded that the chemical could be potentially carcinogenic and harmful to neurological development, particularly in infants.

Chlorpyrifos were found to be present in some Spanish coffee beans, olive oil, oranges, and grapefruit. An additional 17 of the pesticides detected were on the EU’s list of ‘candidates for substitution.’ These substances are approved and are non-toxic to humans, according to the EU’s ‘candidate for substitution’ fact sheet — although the EU has directed member states to replace them for safer alternatives when possible. Sounds like conflicting messages and not very reassuring!

Of all the fruits and vegetables on the list, the five containing the greatest number of residual pesticides were table grapes, with 51 different pesticides were detected; sweet peppers, containing 32 different pesticides; Mandarin oranges, with 28; grapefruits with 28; and pears, which contained 23 different pesticides.Spanish environmentalist action group, Ecologistas en Acción (EeA), pointed out that the actual contamination rate could be higher, as AESAN’s analysis only looked at 1904 samples, equating to approx four per 100k inhabitants, far below the European Union’s average sample rate. However, how much pesticide is actually consumed depends on the product. Compare that to a 2019 report from AESAN (1) who found the following fruits and veggies contained the most pesticide residues; Strawberries, apples, lettuce, tomatoes, apricot, grapes, mandarin, orange, pears, and lemons.

Spraying pesticides
Spraying pesticides on crops

Forever chemicals
Additionally, a 2021 report (2) titled, ‘The Toxic Harvest: The rise of forever pesticides in fruit and vegetables in Europe’, found that in Spain between the periods 2011 and 2021, a total of 13k fruit and vegetable samples met the study selection criteria. 7.6% of the 8,132 fruit samples contained residues of at least one per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pesticide, aka ‘forever chemicals’. The maximum number of PFAS detected in a single fruit sample was 3, while 18 different PFAS pesticides were detected across all samples. However, the rate of PFAS contamination in vegetable samples was comparatively lower, with 4.4% of the 4,857 vegetable samples containing residues of at least one PFAS pesticide. The maximum number of PFAS detected in a single sample was three, while 17 different PFAS pesticides were detected across all samples. When considering both fruit and vegetables, 22 different PFAS pesticides were detected across all samples.

Samples per product category included in the trend analysis for Spain 2011-2021 (2)
Most contaminated fruit grown in Spain in 2021(2)
Most contaminated vegetables imported in Spain in 2021 (2)
Most contaminated fruit imported in Spain in 2021 (2)

Spain is notorious for being among Europe’s worst offenders for pesticide use, reported to have used more than 75k tonnes in 2020, increasing from just over 73k tonnes in 2019, a trend that runs against the EU’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy (3), which seeks to cut the use of pesticides among its member states by 50% by 2030.

How to eliminate pesticide residues
For fruits consumed with a peel, such as mandarins or grapefruits, many or most of the chemicals remain on the waxy exterior which may be eliminated if they are thoroughly washed. The thicker the fruit or vegetable’s peel, the more difficult it is for chemicals to seep in. While research remains conflictive, generally research suggests that washing alone is not enough to remove all residual pesticides from produce, with a 2017 study (4) suggesting that peeling, blanching, cooking, and soaking fruits and vegetables may more effective at reducing pesticides than just washing.

However, other research indicated that the efficacy of treatment methods can vary depending on the kind of fruit or vegetable. An older study published in 1999 on tomatoes (5) found that in order to remove all residual pesticides, they first had to freeze the fruit, then peel and juice them, although other research indicates suggests that one of the best ways to cleanse products of pesticides is by cooking them.

Conclusions
In summary, it is recommended you be mindful regarding which fruits and vegetables you choose to consume either organic or conventional, avoid thin skinned varieties and choose thicker skinned ones. Aim to at least wash your fruit and veg well before eating them. Peeling, scrubbing and cooking will also help remove residual pesticides, but you could equally consume pesticide residues if you consume the residues after having cooked them, always best to discard the liquid if boiling for example and then cooking with them even though doing this may reduce the vitamin content, or just go organic.

1.             Aesan – Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 28]. Available from: https://www.aesan.gob.es/AECOSAN/web/noticias_y_actualizaciones/noticias/2023/pesticidas_2023.htm

2.             Ecologistas en Accion. Directo a tus hormonas: Guía de alimentos disruptores [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2025 Jan 28]. Available from: https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/informe-plaguicidas-2021.pdf

3.             Pan Europe. The Toxic Harvest: The rise of forever pesticides in fruit and vegetables in Europe [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Jan 28]. Available from: https://www.pan-europe.info/sites/pan-europe.info/files/public/resources/reports/Report_Toxic%20Harvest%20The%20rise%20of%20forever%20PFAS%20pesticides%20in%20fruit%20and%20vegetables%20in%20Europe%2027022024%20%281%29.pdf

4.             Farm to Fork targets – Progress – European Commission [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 28]. Available from: https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides/farm-fork-targets-progress_en

5.             How effective are common household preparations on removing pesticide residues from fruit and vegetables? A review – Chung – 2018 – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture – Wiley Online Library [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 28]. Available from: https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.8821

6.             Abou-Arab AAK. Behavior of pesticides in tomatoes during commercial and home preparation. Food Chem. 1999 Jun 1;65(4):509–14. 

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