All foods/Wine

2025 · United Kingdom · UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring · Quarterly Q2–Q4

Pesticide residues found on wine

81.1% 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 residue81.1%Higher organic-buying priority

53 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue18.9%Higher organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues41.5%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count1Moderate organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 5

Above published limit0%Lower organic-buying priority

Parser-based MRL comparison

Organic: any residue42.1%Moderate organic-buying priority

19 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
2025Quarterly Q2–Q45381.1%41.5%1942.1%
2022Annual7169%50.7%1Withheld
2019Annual7164.8%29.6%1Withheld
2016Annual9625%13.5%0Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on wine?

The most frequently detected residues across all 72 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

72samples 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
Fosetyl-Al (sum)Fungicide46 (63.9%)3.8 mg/kg32 mg/kg92.981 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Folpet (sum)Other / mixed13 (18.1%)0.3 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg20 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
metalaxyl (sum)Other / mixed5 (6.9%)0.02 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg0.67 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
dimethomorphOther / mixed4 (5.6%)0.01 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg1.89 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Spirotetramat (partial sum)Insecticide4 (5.6%)0.03 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg0.988 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
fenhexamidOther / mixed3 (4.2%)0.01 mg/kg0.04 mg/kg6.125 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
methoxyfenozideInsecticide3 (4.2%)0.02 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
boscalidFungicide3 (4.2%)0.02 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
carbendazim (sum)Fungicide2 (2.8%)0.009 mg/kg0.009 mg/kg0.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
pyrimethanilFungicide2 (2.8%)0.055 mg/kg0.09 mg/kg3.397 mg/kg
Reviewed evidence

What regulators assessed: The long-term reference value was based on liver and thyroid changes observed in animal studies at higher doses.

Reference values
Role
Fungicide
Long-term reference (ADI)
0–0.2 mg/kg body weight per day
Single-day reference (ARfD)
Not considered necessary by JMPR

Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2007

thiophanate-methylOther / mixed1 (1.4%)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 ↗
iprovalicarbOther / mixed1 (1.4%)0.01 mg/kg0.01 mg/kg1.6 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.

The UK programme is risk-based and targets foods where residues may be expected. It is not a test of every wine product sold in United Kingdom. This entry’s latest included quarterly q2–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 wine results

Were pesticide residues detected on wine?

81.1% of 53 standard-grown samples in the 2025 UK Pesticide Residues in Food monitoring dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean wine were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic wine?

The monitored organic samples had a 42.1% detection rate, compared with 81.1% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.