Banned pesticides on EU plates: foodwatch analysis of EFSA data reveals toxic double standards
- Pesticides
- 9% of food samples in the EU contain residues of pesticides that are banned in European agriculture
- Bananas, tea, rice and spices are particularly affected – contamination rates is up to 50%
- foodwatch demands: No export of banned pesticides – and zero tolerance for their residues in food
foodwatch has analysed the latest 2023 pesticides monitoring data from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the results are alarming: Almost one in ten food samples tested by authorities in the EU contained residues of pesticides that are no longer authorised for use in Europe. Some of these substances are considered highly hazardous due to their carcinogenic or reproductive toxic properties. Nevertheless, these toxins still land on European consumers’ plates via imported food products, criticized the consumer organization. foodwatch is calling for two key steps: a full export ban on pesticides that are no longer approved for use within the EU and zero tolerance for residues of these substances in imported food products. A foodwatch online petition to this effect has already been signed by around 70,000 people.
“The export of EU-banned pesticides by companies like Bayer, BASF and Biesterfeld has devastating consequences for the health of farm workers and the environment in the Global South. Further, these pesticides are like a toxic boomerang that comes back to our plates in Europe. It is due time that the EU makes an end of it and protects the health of 450 million consumers”, said Mirjam Hägele, International Campaigns Director of foodwatch International.
According to the EFSA report, a total of 580 different pesticide substances were detected in food samples from across the EU in 2023 – originating from more than 400 different pesticides, over 200 of which are currently banned in the EU. Particularly affected are products such as bananas, tea, rice, okra and spices: in around 50 percent of these samples, substances that are illegal in the EU were detected. The highest contamination rates were found in foods imported from Rwanda, Cambodia, Madagascar, Paraguay and Bangladesh.
Among the most frequently found banned pesticides were the insecticides Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam/Clothianidin, Chlorpyrifos, Bifenthrin and the fungicides Carbendazim/Benomyl and Flutriafol. Many of these are classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) because they are considered carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction. Despite their known risks, they are still being produced in the EU for export – and end up in European food through international trade.
After years of campaigning by foodwatch and other organizations, the European Commission promised in 2020 to deliver a legislative proposal for an export ban in March 2023. However, no proposal was published and the process has stalled in a never-ending impact assessment and consultation period.
“The European Commission is stalling the process while agricultural workers in the Global South and European consumers continue to be exposed to hazardous pesticides. Banning pesticides at home but exporting them abroad is textbook hypocrisy,” said Mirjam Hägele.