All foods/Strawberries

2025 · United Kingdom · UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring · Quarterly Q1–Q4

Pesticide residues found on strawberries

96.7% 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 residue96.7%Higher organic-buying priority

120 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue3.3%Higher organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues90.8%Higher organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count4Higher organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 15

Above published limit5%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
2025Quarterly Q1–Q412096.7%90.8%1Withheld
2022Annual11794.9%84.6%3Withheld
2019Annual11996.6%89.9%1Withheld
2016Annual8993.3%82%70%

Residue detail

What was found on strawberries?

The most frequently detected residues across all 121 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

121samples 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
fluopyramFungicide58 (47.9%)0.075 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
trifloxystrobinOther / mixed45 (37.2%)0.04 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Fosetyl-Al (sum)Fungicide43 (35.5%)2 mg/kg8.8 mg/kg100 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
cyprodinilFungicide34 (28.1%)0.06 mg/kg0.5 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
fludioxonilFungicide33 (27.3%)0.04 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
boscalidFungicide32 (26.4%)0.2 mg/kg0.9 mg/kg6 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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fenhexamidOther / mixed31 (25.6%)0.1 mg/kg0.6 mg/kg10 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
fluxapyroxadFungicide29 (24%)0.04 mg/kg0.07 mg/kg4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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difenoconazoleFungicide28 (23.1%)0.03 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
azoxystrobinFungicide27 (22.3%)0.08 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg10 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
pyraclostrobinFungicide26 (21.5%)0.06 mg/kg0.2 mg/kg1.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
bupirimateOther / mixed20 (16.5%)0.065 mg/kg0.6 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 strawberries product sold in United Kingdom. This entry’s latest included quarterly q1–q4 release is from 2025.

Comparable annual records are available for 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016.

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

Broader sample coverage. At least 50 samples: broader monitoring coverage, but still targeted rather than random.

Compare organic and standard-grown results →

Common questions

How to read these strawberries results

Were pesticide residues detected on strawberries?

96.7% of 120 standard-grown samples in the 2025 UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean strawberries were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic strawberries?

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