Share of food samples containing pesticide residue above LOQ in Europe 2021

In 2021, the country with the highest share of samples above the limit of quantification (LOQ) was Austria, with 71.62 percent of the samples having detectable levels of pesticide residue. This means that more than two out of three food samples imported from Austria had some amount of pesticide residue. Austria was followed by Czechia, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Germany as the countries with the highest rates of samples above the LOQ. The country with the lowest share of samples above the LOQ was Lithuania, with only 11.45 percent of the samples having detectable levels of pesticide residue.

The LOQ is the lowest concentration of pesticide residue that can be reliably measured by a laboratory method. Pesticide residues that are below the LOQ are considered to be non-detectable and are not reported. The LOQ is different from the maximum residue limit (MRL), which is the highest level of pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed.