Looking beyond these 12 “worst offenders”, the analysis reveals that 31% of food grown in the UK contained more than one pesticide while for imports the figure was 55%. Three times the amount of imported produce was found to contain levels of individual pesticides that exceed the UK’s legal safety limits.

The analysis shows that food imported into Great Britain may pose a greater risk to consumer health than domestically grown produce, with 46 pesticides with links to cancer detected on imported produce, compared to 19 on food of UK origin. Between two and three times the number of both “developmental or reproductive toxins” (which negatively affect sexual function and fertility) and neurotoxins (impacts the nervous system) were detected in imports when compared with UK produce. Imported food was also found to contain more than double (29 to 12) the number of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals which can interfere with hormone systems leading to a range of health problems including cancers and birth defects.

Following April 2024’s headline news that some pesticides contain PFAS “forever chemicals”, the analysis also revealed that, while five PFAS pesticides were present in UK-grown food, the figure jumped to 12 for imports. Branded as “forever chemicals” because of their ability to accumulate in the blood, bones and tissue of humans and other living organisms, PFAS exposure has been linked to a range of serious health problems including increased risk of cancers and lowering of the immune system’s ability to fight infections.

Imported food was also found to contain residues of 48 pesticides that are not approved for use by British farmers. This hands foreign growers a competitive advantage because they can farm more cheaply using chemicals banned in Great Britain due to the harms they cause to human health and the environment.