Pesticides are found in 63% of foods
Keystone-SDA
Pesticides in Switzerland also end up on plates: in 2024, 63% of the 405 food samples analysed as part of a federal monitoring exercise contained pesticide residues.
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Of these, ten samples exceeded the legally permitted maximum limits, according to the annual report on the subject published today by the Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs.
In seven of the ten non-compliant cases, the exceedances were statistically significant. The products most affected were apricots and strawberries, in which residues of the pesticides Captan, Haloxyfop, Iprodione and Spinosad were detected.
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The investigation covered a wide range of products: in addition to fruit, vegetables (such as carrots, courgettes and cabbage), as well as cereals and vegetable oils were sampled. The authorities emphasise, however, that the maximum limits are set with a wide safety margin compared to the health risk thresholds.
Adapted from Italian by AI/ts
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