Foods laden with chemicals: strawberries top the list

The Government should ban 25 pesticides containing so-called forever chemicals, campaigners have said, as potentially harmful toxins were found in more than half of the food and drink available to Britons tested.

PFA chemicals, toxins that take centuries to break down in the environment, were found in more than 3,300 samples tested by the UK government in 2022. Because they can accumulate in living organisms and are linked to serious disease, campaign group Pan UK has called for a ban on 25 types of pesticides used in the UK, including the “hot six” classified as “highly hazardous”.

Of all the species tested, strawberries were the worst affected, with 95% of the 120 samples tested containing PFA, according to Skynews. According to a report from the Department for the Environment's Pesticide Residues Advisory Committee (PRiF), 401 pesticide residues were found in food and drink tested in the UK. The analysis showed that peaches, cucumbers, apricots and beans contain at least 15% fatty acids.

The PRiF report said that 56.4% of the samples tested contained residues of the pesticides they tested, but this was below the maximum residue level (MRL) allowed in food based on the provisions of relevant legislation. Meanwhile, 1.8% of samples contained pesticide residues above the legal limit.

The report said the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is conducting a risk assessment of all pesticide residues found in the testing program and taking further action if health risks are identified.

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