All foods/Curry leaves

2019 · United Kingdom · UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring · Annual

Pesticide residues found on curry leaves

50% of standard-grown samples had at least one detected residue. Standard-grown means samples not identified as organic (called conventional in the source data). Detection does not, by itself, mean the food was unsafe.

Compare with other foods →
Any residue50%Moderate organic-buying priority

18 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue50%Moderate organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues33.3%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count0.5Moderate organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 21

Above published limit27.8%Higher organic-buying priority

Parser-based MRL comparison

Organic comparisonNot availableNot enough published data

Withheld: only 0 samples

Annual context

How monitored results changed

Each row is a separate targeted survey. Samples can differ by retailer, origin and season, so this is context rather than a trend claim.

YearStandard-grown samplesAny residueMultiple residuesOrganic samplesOrganic any residue
2019Annual1850%33.3%0Withheld
2018Annual1668.8%31.2%850%

Residue detail

What was found on curry leaves?

The most frequently detected residues across all 18 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

18samples checked

Detection does not establish harm. Health risk depends on both toxicity and the amount a person is exposed to.

What do these types mean?
  • FungicideControls fungal diseases such as moulds and mildews.
  • InsecticideControls insects that damage crops or stored food.
  • HerbicideControls weeds competing with a crop.
  • Growth regulatorChanges plant growth, development or ripening.
  • Other / mixedCovers multiple substances or a role that cannot be reliably assigned from the published name.

These labels describe agricultural function, not a toxicity ranking.

ResidueTypeSamplesMedianHigher resultTypical published limit
profenofosOther / mixed5 (27.8%)2.3 mg/kg7.2 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
carbofuran (sum)Other / mixed4 (22.2%)0.003 mg/kg0.007 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
azoxystrobinFungicide3 (16.7%)0.2 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg182 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
chlorantraniliproleInsecticide3 (16.7%)0.05 mg/kg0.06 mg/kg52 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
tebuconazoleFungicide3 (16.7%)0.7 mg/kg1.1 mg/kg5.2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
acephateOther / mixed2 (11.1%)0.04 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
acetamipridInsecticide2 (11.1%)6.1 mg/kg7.8 mg/kg7.8 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
bifenthrinInsecticide2 (11.1%)1.5 mg/kg1.7 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
chlorpyrifosOther / mixed2 (11.1%)0.015 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
cypermethrin (sum)Insecticide2 (11.1%)1.35 mg/kg1.5 mg/kg5.2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
difenoconazoleFungicide2 (11.1%)0.195 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg10.4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
ethionOther / mixed2 (11.1%)0.1 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg0.03 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗

“Higher result” is an approximate 95th-percentile observed concentration, not a safety threshold. Amounts of different pesticides should not be added together or compared directly. Functional types describe their usual agricultural role; they are not hazard or toxicity rankings.

ADI and ARfD are intake reference values, not limits for one food sample. A personal assessment would also require consumption, body-weight and wider exposure data. Source programmes report legal Maximum Residue Level results separately.

What this tells you

A monitoring result, not a verdict.

The UK programme is risk-based and targets foods where residues may be expected. It is not a test of every curry leaves product sold in United Kingdom. This entry’s latest included annual release is from 2019.

Comparable annual records are available for 2019, 2018.

Published MRLs or tolerances are regulatory limits associated with pesticide use. Consumer-risk assessment is a separate process.

Limited sample coverage. Fewer than 20 samples: useful as a monitoring snapshot, but sensitive to individual results.

Compare organic and standard-grown results →

Common questions

How to read these curry leaves results

Were pesticide residues detected on curry leaves?

50% of 18 standard-grown samples in the 2019 UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean curry leaves were unsafe?

No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.

Should I buy organic curry leaves?

There were only 0 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.