According to Legambiente's Stop Pesticidi nel piatto 2025 dossier, out of 4,682 food samples, 48 per cent contain residues of chemical substances.
Fruit, vegetables, cereals, processed products and foods of animal origin: out of 4,682 samples of these foods, almost half (48 per cent) contain pesticides. This is the finding of analyses carried out by Legambiente in collaboration with Assobio and Consorzio Il Biologico, reported in the dossier Stop pesticidi nel piatto 2025.
More specifically, 17.33 per cent of samples showing traces of pesticides contain a single residue, while 30.26 per cent are multi-residue, meaning they contain traces of different pesticides. In most cases these are traces within legal limits (the overall percentage of irregularities is 1.47 per cent), but the cocktail effect must be taken into account — that is, the combined impact of multiple pesticides together.
Fruit is the most problematic category, with three out of four samples showing multi-residue contamination and 2.21 per cent of samples found to be non-compliant. The most prevalent pesticides are insecticides and fungicides, but Italian peppers containing Tetramethrin (no longer authorised since 2002) and potatoes and courgettes with DDT were also found as a result of persistent contamination. Analyses were also carried out on organic foods: in this case, 87.7 per cent of the samples analysed were found to be entirely free of residues. While 7.69% contain just one, within legal limits. Two samples show the presence of multiple substances permitted in organic farming (copper and its compounds). Only one sample is non-compliant, and this is due to drift: pesticide contamination from neighbouring areas.
For Legambiente, the chemical drift in agriculture can only worsen the fragilities of the sector in the face of extreme climate events, loss of soil fertility, and alien insects. Instead, action must be taken from an agroecological standpoint: using biocontrol techniques with naturally occurring substances, implementing crop rotations and green manures to restore fertility and combat pests, protecting pollinating insects, safeguarding biodiversity, and promoting short and transparent supply chains.
"These figures tell us that respecting legal pesticide limits is not enough," declared Angelo Gentili, head of agriculture at Legambiente. "The goal must be to drastically reduce the use of agrochemicals, through European and national legislation and production models that protect ecosystems and people's health. Multi-residue contamination remains an underestimated threat, especially when we are talking about children and the most vulnerable sections of the population, and it is a warning bell we cannot ignore."
For Legambiente, the right to safe food cannot be left solely to final checks or consumer choices. The association calls for a concrete change of pace: urgent approval of the SUR (the Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products) in Europe and of the National Action Plan with stringent reduction targets; strengthening of environmental monitoring and biomonitoring; clear criminal measures against the production and trafficking of illegal pesticides; and real support for farmers in the transition towards organic farming and advanced integrated agriculture.
According to the association, a public vision is needed — an agricultural Green Deal that does not retreat in the face of agribusiness pressure and that introduces concrete tools to drive the ecological transition of the sector. This means targeted incentives for those converting to organic farming, tax relief and simplified procedures for companies adopting low-impact practices. A reduced VAT rate on organic and sustainable products and a leading role for institutions through public canteens that structurally purchase organic, local and quality products, becoming the driving force behind a genuine shift in demand. Public policies that transform the market, guarantee income for farmers and ensure healthy and affordable food for the entire population, not just those who can afford it.