Food sold in Spain contains residues of 106 different pesticides. Some, like glyphosate, are not even searched for by the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN), which is responsible for controls.
The environmentalist association Ecologistas en Acción in a report entitled ‘Directo a tus hormonas’ (‘Straight to your hormones’) denounces a laxity that endangers the population, farmers (in primis). (1)
1) Spain, invasion of pesticides
322.000 tons of pesticides were sold in the European Union in 2022. 10% less than in 2021, mainly due to price increases generated by the war in Ukraine, but still too much.
In the rankings by volumes, Spain ranks second, with an 18% share of of total agrotoxic sales in the EU. A high share, although down 26% compared to the previous year.
It is preceded by France (21%) and followed by Germany (15%) and Italy (14%). (2)
2) Fewer controls on food
The extensive use of pesticides is combined with the relaxation of food controls.
AESAN continues to sample less and less. In 2022 (latest available data) it analyzed 1.743 foods, equal to 3,61 samples per 100.000 inhabitants.
A performance that marks a sharp decline (there were 2.773 in 2017) and places Spain at the bottom of the European ranking.
3) 106 different pesticides
AESAN analysis highlight the presence of residues in over a third (36%) of the samples analyzed. This percentage increases to 43% for fruit and vegetables.
About 106 pesticides were traced, characterized as follows:
– 59 endocrine disruptors, including DDT
– 32 pesticides not authorised in the European Union
– 17 candidates for substitution due to their carcinogenic, reproductive toxic, endocrine disrupting effects or fulfilling 2 of the 3 characteristics of persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity.
4) Cocktail effect
The AESAN report reveals that 22% of the analyzed samples have residues of multiple pesticides. The extreme case is a pear sample with residues of 9 different pesticides.
Not reassuring is the fact that in 99% of cases the residues are within the legal limits. In fact,
– the co-presence of different molecules is not considered in toxicity tests for the authorization of the use of a pesticide
– there is scientific evidence of the (measurable) toxicity of exposure to cocktails of pesticides and other agrotoxics, even at the doses permitted in the EU (3,4)
– hormone-disrupting pesticides, in particular, work at very low doses.
5) The ‘forgotten’ glyphosate
Glyphosate – despite being the second best-selling pesticide in Spain in 2022 – was not searched for in any sample by AESAN analyses.
More pesticide persist in foods sold in Spain than those analyzed, concludes Ecologistas en Acción.
6) The requests of Ecologistas en Acción
‘It can be deduced that Spain continues to rely on a food system that is heavily dependent on pesticides. This puts the health of the population, workers and nature at risk’, underlines the Spanish environmental association.
Ecologistas en Acción therefore asks:
– to the Spanish Food Safety Agency to improve controls by increasing the number of samples and pesticides analyzed, including those actually used in the fields, such as glyphosate
–to the Ministry of Agriculture to help Spanish agri-food production differentiate itself as a source of healthy and non-toxic products, allowing producers to live with dignity.
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) Directo a tus hormones. Plague residues in Spanish foods. Ecologistas en Acción 2024 https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/informe-plaguicidas-2024.pdf
(2) EUROSTAT, Sales of pesticides in the EU down 10% in 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240517-1
(3) Marta Strinati. Pesticide cocktails cause toxicity, even at the doses allowed in the EU. New study. FT (Food Times).
(4) Dario Dongo. Pesticides and the microbiome, interview with Prof. Alberto Mantovani. FT (Food Times). 22.5.19
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
