Campaigners have raised the alarm after testing revealed that 95% of strawberry samples in the UK contained residues of PFAS pesticides, known as 'forever chemicals' due to their persistence in the environment. The findings, based on 2022 government testing of over 3,300 food samples, have prompted calls for a ban on the 25 PFAS pesticides currently used in Britain.
The Pesticide Action Network UK (Pan UK) analysed the results and found strawberries to be the worst offender, followed by grapes (61% of samples), cherries (56%), spinach (42%), and tomatoes (38%). Peaches, cucumbers, apricots and beans also had at least 15% of samples containing PFAS. The chemicals, used in pesticides since the 1940s, can accumulate in the body and have been linked to severe health conditions including cancer, liver damage, and immune system harm.
While the government report noted that 56.4% of samples contained pesticide residues, all were below the legal maximum residue level (MRL). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducts risk assessments and stated it 'rarely finds any likely risk to health' from residues above MRLs. However, Pan UK argues that MRLs do not guarantee safety and fail to account for other PFAS exposure sources like packaging and water.
Nick Mole from Pan UK said: 'Given the growing body of evidence linking PFAs to serious diseases such as cancer, it is deeply worrying that UK consumers are being left with no choice but to ingest these chemicals.' He added that PFAS pesticides are 'absolutely unnecessary for growing food' and urged their removal from the food chain. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry noted that while animal studies show harm, more research is needed on human health effects at environmental exposure levels.
