This Website provides infomation on pesticide residues until the reporting year 2010. For more information on pesticides, biocides, their policies and their alternatives please visit: www.pan-germany.org/gbr.html

Protect humanity and the environment from pesticides

Today's consumers in Europe can buy about every fruit or vegetable at every time of the year for a decent price. This wealth of product diversity is possible due to the application of huge amounts of agricultural chemicals in the conventional production system. Millions of tons of mineral fertilizers and pesticides are sprayed worldwide on fields and orchards each year - and certain amounts of such pesticides remain as residues in the food we eat.

Consumers in Europe are concerned about pesticide residues in food. A recent survey showed that 71% of the EU citizens are worried about pesticide residues in fruit, vegetables or cereals.

The pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables are still alarming. The newest EU-Report about the contamination of food with pesticide residues does not show any improvement of the overall situation. Residues of pesticides in food can still pose acute health risks for consumers.

PAN-Germany provides this website to give consumers information about pesticide residues in food by country and EU-wide.

NOTE! · While all care has been taken to ensure that the information in the PAN Germany website is as accurate as possible at the time of preparation, PAN Germany and its funders take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the original data sources or for data sources that may have changed since incorporation into the website.

Photo Credits
Grapes: © Cl. Ernst
Vegetables: © matthias fährmann - Fotolia.com
Pesticide use: © ermess - Fotolia.com
Tangerine: knipseline_pixelio.de
Cellary: © wrw_pixelio.de

NEWS

Progress in consumer protection
Maximum residue levels for pesticide residues are being lowered throughout Europe

From Monday, 7th June 2010, more than one thousand maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides in food will be tightened. After years of struggling with the competent authorities, this is an important step for better protection of consumers, as environmental organisations Pesticide Action Network (PAN Germany) and Greenpeace point out. more

GERMANY: Retailers pledge to increase monitoring of pesticide levels

Leading German retailers have joined forces with the Trade Association of Germany in a project to increase the monitoring of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables.
PAN Europe Press-Release, 09.02.2010

What's for Christmas dinner? Food industry flouts EU pesticide limits

As Christmas approaches, PAN Europe has asked if the fresh food on Europe's dining tables is safe.
PAN Europe Press-Release, 17.12.2009

NEW ZEALAND: Celery has highest pesticide levels

Celery is the food most likely to contain pesticides according to a new list published by compiled by food and soil researchers using data from New Zealand's Food Safety Authority. Peaches, apricots, butter and bread were also on the list highlighting a dozen foods high in pesticide residues.
PAN Europe Press-Release, 14.12.2009

Commission must reduce pesticides in Europe's food

"The European Commission has endangered public health for many years by failing to protect food supplies from excessive pesticide contamination."
PAN Europe Press-Release, 25.11.2009

Pesticides in grapes: unsafe, illegal and unauthorised

Largest ever supermarket survey reveals dangerous levels of pesticides in grapes; LIDL is Europe’s greenest supermarket.
PAN Europe Press-Release, 24.11.2008

Highest ever levels of pesticides in foods

Fruits, vegetables and cereals sold throughout the European Union contain record levels of pesticides – according to an official report to be published later this month.
PAN Europe Press-Release, 15.10.2008

Seminar Proceedings
Pesticide Residues in Food - Regulation, Monitoring, Policy

more

Why Risk Assessment is necessary for Substance Mixtures

Position paper of PAN Germany (Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V.) on the combination effects of pesticides
In this paper the current knowledge on combination effects is summarized. PAN Germany demands that the authorities for pesticide regulation should consider combination effects regularly and in a methodically well-grounded manner in the risk assessment of pesticides.
Download Position Paper

Pesticides in Food

A great concern for new EU-citizens in Central and Eastern Europe
Press-Release, 06.11.2006

The Myth of Safe Fruit and Vegetables (April 2006)

The Briefing reveals a number of open questions about the new European MRL Regulation 396/2005 and clearly shows that today many maximum residue levels (MRLs) put children at risk. PAN Germany calculated 60 unsafe maximum residue levels in 13 major commodities.

PRESS Release 28.04.2006
Download Briefing "The Myth of Safe Friut and Vegetables"(pdf-file, 268 kb)