All foods/Green beans

2026 · United Kingdom · UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring · Quarterly Q1

Pesticide residues found on green beans

60.9% 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 residue60.9%Moderate organic-buying priority

23 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue39.1%Moderate organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues47.8%Higher organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count1Moderate organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 4

Above published limit8.7%Higher organic-buying priority

Parser-based MRL comparison

Organic comparisonNot availableNot enough published data

Withheld: only 1 sample

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
2026Quarterly Q12360.9%47.8%1Withheld
2025Quarterly Q1–Q49065.6%38.9%616.7%
2024Annual9461.7%38.3%2Withheld
2023Annual9555.8%29.5%1Withheld
2022Annual9459.6%38.3%2Withheld
2021Annual9667.7%43.8%0Withheld
2020Annual6659.1%36.4%633.3%
2019Annual9553.7%30.5%1Withheld
2018Annual9463.8%45.7%2Withheld
2017Annual9457.4%40.4%2Withheld
2016Annual11763.2%37.6%3Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on green beans?

The most frequently detected residues across all 24 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

24samples 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
lambda-cyhalothrinInsecticide4 (16.7%)0.025 mg/kg0.09 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
carbendazim (sum)Fungicide3 (12.5%)0.02 mg/kg0.07 mg/kg0.2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
fluopyramFungicide3 (12.5%)0.08 mg/kg0.2 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
azoxystrobinFungicide2 (8.3%)0.02 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
acetamipridInsecticide2 (8.3%)0.035 mg/kg0.04 mg/kg0.6 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 (8.3%)0.025 mg/kg0.04 mg/kg0.7 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
dithiocarbamatesFungicide2 (8.3%)0.45 mg/kg0.6 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
difenoconazoleFungicide1 (4.2%)0.03 mg/kg0.03 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
thiophanate-methylOther / mixed1 (4.2%)0.03 mg/kg0.03 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
chlorantraniliproleInsecticide1 (4.2%)0.01 mg/kg0.01 mg/kg0.8 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
hexaconazoleOther / mixed1 (4.2%)0.05 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg0.01 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
pyridabenOther / mixed1 (4.2%)0.02 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg0.2 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 green beans product sold in United Kingdom. This entry’s latest included quarterly q1 release is from 2026.

Comparable annual records are available for 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

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

Moderate sample coverage. 20–49 samples: a useful monitoring snapshot, though not a population estimate.

Compare organic and standard-grown results →

Common questions

How to read these green beans results

Were pesticide residues detected on green beans?

60.9% of 23 standard-grown samples in the 2026 UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean green beans were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic green beans?

There were only 1 organic samples, so Residue Lens withholds the comparison.