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In a study, the NGO Pesticide Action Network Europe claims that one in two cherries is contaminated with pesticide residues classified among the most dangerous to health. Other fruits and vegetables, such as peaches and salads, are affected.
Pesticides, although invisible, are present on the fruit and vegetables of our market stalls. According to the NGO Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, which relied on the measures of European health authorities, the proportion of fruits carrying residues of 12 pesticides considered most at risk reached 29% in 2019, against 18 % in 2011. On average, 50% of cherries carry traces of these treatments in Europe, 46% of peaches, and 30% of kiwis.
The European Union had nevertheless committed in 2011 to gradually withdraw these dangerous substances. “We expected it, given the state inaction that we have seen in recent years, but what is more frightening is the increase in the use of these substances, which is certainly linked to a resistance effect”, explains Salomé Roynel, of Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe. Moreover, the detection of several pesticides on the same fruit is more and more frequent.