Chili peppers from Kenya
How often official samples of chili peppers grown in Kenya break the EU maximum residue level for pesticides, by why the sample was taken.
In 2024, 9 of 83 EU border checks (11%) found a pesticide above the legal limit, while the pair was under increased EU checks (20% of consignments). The year before (2023) it was 4.2% of 119 checks. There are only 2 random market samples, too few for a market rate. The substance found above the limit most often was chlorfenapyr (5 samples). UK supermarkets: 9 samples since 2024, 0 above the UK limit.
EU border checks by year
| Year | Checks | Over the limit | Check frequency in force |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 119 | 4.2% | 20% (Annex I) |
| 2024 | 83 | 11% | 20% (Annex I) |
Checks: consignments sampled at EU border posts under the increased-control regime of Reg. (EU) 2019/1793 and reported to EFSA by the member state that checked them. A percentage is shown only for years with at least 30 checks; below that, the count. "Within uncertainty": above the limit but compliant once the lab's measurement uncertainty is allowed for, not counted as over.
Substances found above the limit
| Substance | Where found | Samples |
|---|---|---|
| Chlorfenapyr | border checks | 5 |
| Carbendazim and benomyl | border checks | 4 |
| Acephate | border checks | 3 |
| Hexaconazole | border checks | 3 |
| Acetamiprid | border checks | 2 |
| Chlorpyrifos | border checks | 2 |
| Methamidophos | border checks | 2 |
| Chlorothalonil | border checks | 1 |
| Carbendazim and benomyl | random samples | 1 |
| Chlorfenapyr | random samples | 1 |
The limit applied is the one the lab reported at the time of sampling. Limits change; check the current value in the EU Pesticides Database.
Random market samples
2 random samples (1 over the limit). That is too few for a market rate: one is shown from 30.
Also on file, never turned into a rate because inspectors chose them: 9 risk-based and 0 follow-up samples.
UK supermarket samples
| Month | Retailer | Residues found (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-09 | Other shops | flubendiamide 0.04 (MRL = 0.2) |
| 2024-07 | Other shops | bupirimate 0.1 (MRL = 2); clothianidin 0.03 (MRL = 0.04); tebuconazole 0.03 (MRL = 0.6); thiamethoxam 0.05 (MRL = 0.7) |
| 2024-05 | Lidl | none found |
| 2024-05 | Tesco | acetamiprid 0.02 (MRL = 0.3); profenofos 0.02 (MRL = 0.01*) |
| 2024-05 | Tesco | acetamiprid 0.01 (MRL = 0.3) |
| 2024-04 | Tesco | none found |
| 2024-04 | Tesco | acetamiprid 0.01 (MRL = 0.3); lambda-cyhalothrin 0.005 (MRL = 0.1) |
| 2024-03 | Other shops | acetamiprid 0.03 (MRL = 0.3); indoxacarb 0.01 (MRL = 0.3) |
| 2024-02 | Tesco | thiacloprid 0.3 (MRL = 1) |
Defra's Pesticide Residues in Food programme. UK limits mirror the EU's as retained in 2021 and may since differ.
Testing a shipment?
The substances listed on this page are the ones that most often break the EU limit on this product from this origin. A lab panel that covers them is the cheapest way to avoid a rejection.
Exporter residue report: Kenya
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Data
Download every sample behind this page (CSV): series, reporting country, year, month, over the limit, substances. How each sample is classified.