A new study by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) assessing pesticide contamination in apples across Europe reveals that 85% of sampled apples contained several pesticide residues, with some apples showing traces of up to 7 different chemicals.
A new survey by PAN Europe finds that conventional apples sold across Europe are routinely contaminated with mixtures of pesticide residues; a “cocktail” problem that regulators still fail to address. The PAN Europe tested 59 apples from 13 EU countries (Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Switzerland) and found widespread contamination with multiple pesticide residues.
Key results
The PAN Europe reports that 85% of sampled apples contained more than one pesticide, while only 7% of tested conventional apples had no detectable residues. Also, the report showed that 71% of samples contained at least one substance from the EU’s “Candidates for Substitution” list (the most hazardous pesticides that the bloc aims to phase out), 64% contained at least one PFAS-linked pesticide, and 36% carried at least one neurotoxic pesticide. The PAN Europe also noted that pesticide concentrations in several samples exceeded the stricter limits that would apply to baby food. Given these findings, the PAN Europe advises consumers to buy organic apples where possible or to peel conventionally grown fruit before eating.
Policy critique: the missing “cocktail” assessment
The PAN Europe uses these data to criticise current EU pesticide risk assessment practice of one active ingredient at a time. The NGO points out that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was tasked decades ago to develop methods for assessing pesticide mixture or “cocktail” effects, but that this obligation remains unfulfilled. As Gergely Simon, campaigner at PAN Europe, says: “One of the most striking results is that 85% of the tested apples contained multiple pesticide residues. The European Food Safety Authority has been tasked 20 years ago to develop a methodology to regulate cocktail effects of pesticides but they still do not fulfil this legal obligation.”
Pesticide cocktail detected by RPTU Landau researchers
Researchers from RPTU Landau have also found pesticide cocktails in agricultural landscapes. In a 2025 study published in Scientific Reports, the researchers examined pesticide contamination over the course of an entire year for the first time. The study revealed that mixtures of current-use pesticides were present not only during spraying periods in crop fields, but throughout the year and even in adjacent meadows, demonstrating that pesticide cocktails persist in the environment beyond active application periods.
Why this matters
Taken together, the PAN survey and the RPTU study argue for a shift in monitoring and regulation toward mixture-aware assessment. In the meantime, consumers who wish to reduce exposure can choose organic fruit or peel conventional apples, while policymakers should accelerate development of methods that evaluate combined chemical effects.
Read the full report HERE.
Link to RPTU Study: Mauser, K. M., Wolfram, J., Spaak, J. W., Honert, C., & Brühl, C. A. (2025). Current-use pesticides in vegetation, topsoil and water reveal contaminated landscapes of the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany. Communications Earth & Environment, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02118-2