Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables: Analysis and risk assessment of EU RASFF notifications between 1999 and 2022

Abstract

Pesticides are commonly used to increase agricultural productivity by decreasing pest damage to crops. However, their residues may have detrimental consequences on human health. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) pesticide notifications in fruits and vegetables (F&V) were analyzed over the past 24 years to identify the most frequently reported products, pesticides, their origin countries, and their associated potential risks. The F&V product category received 5040 pesticide residue notifications, accounting for 67.1 % of total notifications related to pesticide residues across all product categories. Bulgaria and Germany were the major notifiers, while Turkey and India were the most notified origin countries of these notifications. 52.3 % of the total notifications were classified as border rejection. The top notified pesticides were chlorpyrifos (13.3 %), dimethoate (6.5 %), carbendazim (5.2 %), chlorpyrifos-methyl (5.1 %), and omethoate (4.7 %), while the top notified products were sweet peppers (22.4 %), beans (7.6 %), okra (5.1 %), oranges (4.6 %), and grapes (4.2 %). Critical associations between specific pesticides and produce highlight grave health concerns, notably with dichlorvos in beans and amitraz in pears, surpassing acceptable limits and posing potential health hazards. The study underscores the importance of proactive risk management actions such as destruction and withdrawal in addressing these concerns for consumer safety in addition to more multi-control risk management actions.