85 percent of apples sold in Europe are contaminated with a cocktail of pesticides

A report published at the end of January 2026 from the NGO Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, which includes a network of environmental associations across Europe, has analysed 59 samples of apples conventional purchased in supermarkets or markets 13 European countries. With rather disconcerting results, among which the most important are:

• 85 percent of the samples contained residues of multiple pesticides (“pesticide cocktails”). 
• 93 percent were contaminated with at least one detectable pesticide residue. 
• In some fruits they have been found up to 7 different chemical residues.

In particular, Fludioxonil was present in almost 40% of samples: it is a PFAS pesticide and was classified as an endocrine disruptor in the EU in 2024. It should therefore have been banned, but EU member states have been blocking it for a year. It is toxic to the liver and kidneys in humans and decimates fish and amphibians in aquatic environments.

The issue highlighted by the report, which examined 60 varieties of apples, concerns above all the combined effects of more pesticides (“cocktail effect”), which are not yet fully taken into account in normal assessments. This is the comment of Gergely Simon, activist of Pan Europe: "There is growing scientific evidence that exposure to pesticides through food is linked to infertility and potentially cancer. The constant exposure of citizens to mixtures of toxic substances through food, air, or dust is not taken into account; this important issue must be addressed by regulatory bodies.".

Read also:

• Pesticide exposure shortens fish' lives
• How to remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables
• Pesticides in strawberries: 15 supermarket brands tested, and nearly all are full of them.