The European Commission has launched a new Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme covering the years 2026-2028. This comprehensive programme aims to assess whether pesticide residues in food across the European Union are within current legal limits.

Under the new regulation, member states will collect samples from specified agricultural products and analyse pesticide residue levels in these products. The data obtained will be shared with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), thereby providing a clearer picture of consumers’ exposure to pesticides across the EU.

The programme was developed to enhance food safety and protect public health. It also aims to provide a scientific basis for assessing consumers’ long-term exposure to pesticide residues.

This new monitoring system will replace the multi-annual control programme that was previously in place.

The European Union will thus take an important step towards basing its food safety policies on more up-to-date scientific data, promoting sustainable agriculture and healthy consumer habits.

The programme will start in 2026 and will be carried out regularly for three years. The results obtained during this process will play a critical role not only in legal controls but also in the development of food safety policies.