All foods/Sweet peppers

2024 · United Kingdom · UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring · Annual

Pesticide residues found on sweet peppers

80.6% 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.

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Any residue80.6%Higher organic-buying priority

31 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue19.4%Higher organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues51.6%Higher organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count2Higher organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 5

Above published limit3.2%Higher organic-buying priority

Parser-based MRL comparison

Organic: any residue0%Higher organic-buying priority

5 samples, interpret cautiously

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
2024Annual3180.6%51.6%50%
2021Annual3485.3%64.7%2Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on sweet peppers?

The most frequently detected residues across all 36 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

36samples 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
propamocarb (sum)Fungicide9 (25%)0.03 mg/kg0.2 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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fluopyramFungicide6 (16.7%)0.036 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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flonicamid (sum)Insecticide5 (13.9%)0.02 mg/kg0.04 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
pyridalylInsecticide4 (11.1%)0.022 mg/kg0.032 mg/kg0.9 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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difenoconazoleFungicide4 (11.1%)0.034 mg/kg0.07 mg/kg0.9 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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fludioxonilFungicide3 (8.3%)0.01 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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cyantraniliproleInsecticide3 (8.3%)0.02 mg/kg0.06 mg/kg1.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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spirotetramat (sum)Insecticide3 (8.3%)0.03 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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azoxystrobinFungicide2 (5.6%)0.015 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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boscalidFungicide2 (5.6%)0.035 mg/kg0.04 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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chlorantraniliproleInsecticide2 (5.6%)0.024 mg/kg0.038 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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methoxyfenozideInsecticide2 (5.6%)0.065 mg/kg0.11 mg/kg2 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 sweet peppers product sold in United Kingdom. This entry’s latest included annual release is from 2024.

Comparable annual records are available for 2024, 2021.

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 sweet peppers results

Were pesticide residues detected on sweet peppers?

80.6% of 31 standard-grown samples in the 2024 UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean sweet peppers were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic sweet peppers?

The monitored organic samples had a 0% detection rate, compared with 80.6% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.