Pesticides in your food

There are many routes of exposure to pesticides. Rural residents can suffer the effects of agricultural pesticide drift, and people in towns and cities can be exposed as a result of spraying in public spaces such as streets, pavements and parks. They are also in the water we drink and the food we consume.

Pesticides used in farming result in varying levels of chemical residues remaining in, or on, our food. Due to health concerns, each year the UK Government tests a range of food items for pesticide residues. Using data over a five-year period, we have produced a list of the ‘dirtiest’ and ‘cleanest’ fruit and vegetables. We’ve based the list on the number of samples that tested positive for residues of multiple pesticides.