Fruits and vegetables with pesticides – what tests revealed

What checks showed for the presence pesticidescarried out on fruits and vegetables in supermarkets, greengrocers, markets, wholesale stores and warehouses?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced the results of tests carried out in November for the presence of pesticides in plant products (fruits and vegetables).

According to information from the ministry, 367 samples of fruits and vegetables were tested: 45 from border points and 322 from the domestic market (supermarkets, greengrocers, markets, wholesale stores and warehouses).

367 samples of fruits and vegetables were tested.

Products with prohibited substances made up four samples, samples with pesticide levels in excess of indicating a possible hazard to consumers also made up four, and 14 samples contained pesticides above the maximum permissible level.

Products made in Greece

Products produced in Greece in which unauthorized active substances were found in November 2024 included pears, table olives, oranges and grapes.

Pesticides were found in a pear (sample from a vegetable market) Imidacloprid And Thiamethoxamthe use of which was prohibited in EU from 2020 and 2019 respectively.

A pesticide was found in table olives (from the market) Phosmetwhich has been banned in the EU since 2022. The active substance was also found in oranges (from the supermarket) Phosmetand the presence of a pesticide was detected in table grapes (from a grocery store) Imidaclopridthe same substance found in pears from the vegetable market.

It should be noted that products from third countries containing active substances whose EU approval has been withdrawn or which have never received EU approval may be legally imported into Greece and other Member States, provided that their concentration in the products does not exceed the relevant MRLs (maximum acceptable residue levels).

Fruits and vegetables with pesticides

Inspections in November also found eight fruits and vegetables containing pesticides. Specifically, products that were found to contain excess pesticide residues in November 2024 included pears, apricots, quinces, oranges, rice, soybeans, table grapes and tomatoes.

A sample of soybeans (edamame) originating in China involved a follow-up inspection at a facility where a previous inspection had found excess residues in the same product. During the re-inspection, excess residues of active substances were revealed dinotefuran, lufenuron And bifenthrin. For substance dinotefuran There are no toxicological indicators established in the EU. Two of the tomato samples with possible consumer hazard were from Turkey and were collected from vegetable markets. One sample had an excess of active substance indoxacarband the other – the active substance chlorpyrifos-methyl. For the latter substance, toxicological indicators have also not been established in the EU.

In our country, one (1) notification was made in November 2024 to the “early warning system for immediate or indirect risks to human and animal health arising from food or feed (iRASFF)” regarding pesticide residues in products of plant origin.

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