12 samples, standard-grown
2024 · Germany · EFSA consolidated official controls · Calendar year
Pesticide residues found on lemons
83.3% 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.
All reported results below quantification
Two or more residues detected
Highest observed count: 5
Based on the reported compliance evaluation
Withheld: only 2 samples
Residue detail
What was found on lemons?
The most frequently detected residues across all 14 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.
14samples 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.
| Residue | Type | Samples | Median | Higher result | Typical published limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imazalil (RD) | Other / mixed | 7 (50%) | 0.6 mg/kg | 3.5 mg/kg | 5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Spirotetramat (RD) | Other / mixed | 4 (28.6%) | 0.057 mg/kg | 0.081 mg/kg | 0.5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Pyrimethanil (RD) | Other / mixed | 4 (28.6%) | 0.064 mg/kg | 4.299 mg/kg | 8 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Hexythiazox (RD) | Other / mixed | 3 (21.4%) | 0.023 mg/kg | 0.033 mg/kg | 0.5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Fludioxonil (RD) | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 0.1 mg/kg | 0.17 mg/kg | 10 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Azoxystrobin (RD) | Other / mixed | 2 (14.3%) | 0.106 mg/kg | 0.17 mg/kg | 15 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Tau-Fluvalinate (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.019 mg/kg | 0.019 mg/kg | 0.4 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Metalaxyl And Metalaxyl-M (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.012 mg/kg | 0.012 mg/kg | 0.5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Pyriproxyfen (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.048 mg/kg | 0.048 mg/kg | 0.7 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Etofenprox (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.025 mg/kg | 0.025 mg/kg | 1.5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| 2,4-D (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.012 mg/kg | 0.012 mg/kg | 1 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Cypermethrin (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.019 mg/kg | 0.019 mg/kg | 2 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Difenoconazole (RD) | Other / mixed | 1 (7.1%) | 0.013 mg/kg | 0.013 mg/kg | 0.6 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.
EFSA consolidates official control results reported by national authorities; sampling strategies and food coverage differ between countries. It is not a test of every lemons product sold in Germany. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2024.
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 lemons results
Were pesticide residues detected on lemons?
83.3% of 12 standard-grown samples in the 2024 EFSA consolidated official controls dataset had at least one quantified residue.
Does that mean lemons were unsafe?
No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.
Should I buy organic lemons?
There were only 2 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.