Food safety

In 2006 the European Commission published the results of its own pesticides residues analysis. Of the 60,450 food samples sourced from across the 27 EU Member States, a staggering 40% were shown to contain detectable levels of pesticide residues. An additional 3% of samples contained levels of pesticides in excess of EC Maximum Residue Levels rendering their sale in the EU illegal.

Fruit and vegetables (apples, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, leeks, orange juice, cabbage, rye/ oats) were shown to be among the most heavily contaminated products, while even baby food contained significant levels of pesticide residues.

In total some 324 different pesticide residues were identified, with some individual food samples containing as many as 8 different contaminants. Worryingly, many of the most frequently found pesticide residues are known immunotoxins, neurotoxins or endocrine disruptors. Several less common contaminants are classified by the World Health Organisation as being ‘Extremely Hazardous’.

While EU food safety regulations set maximum pesticide levels, current risk assessments don’t take into account the long-term impacts of exposure to multiple pesticides residues.

Daily exposure to pesticide residues poses an unnecessary health risk to European citizens. That’s why the European Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety recently endorsed proposals to withdraw authorisation for those pesticides known to present specific health risks to human life. With your help we can persuade other MEPs to support these measures too.

Contact your local MEPs and raise your concerns about pesticides.

Contact your national government and ask them to: end exposure to carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic, and endocrine disrupting pesticides authorise the use of less toxic agrochemicals in preference to hazardous pesticides wherever possible

Facts

Contaminating the Kids
1 in 12 of samples of baby food on sale in the EU contains pesticide residues. Of these almost one third violate European safety standards.

Fruit Cocktail
Almost 25% of food samples tested in the EU are contaminated with 2 or more different pesticides. Some foods contain as many as 8 different chemicals.

European citizens eat pesticide contaminated food on a daily basis
According to a study by the European Commission almost half of food samples tested within the EU contained pesticides.

Children are especially vulnerable to exposure
They absorb a larger intake of pesticide residues in what they eat than do adults, because they eat more fruit relative to their weigth.