The words “100% fruit” appear on the label, and for many consumers this is enough to put juices and smoothies in their cart with a clear conscience. An investigation by the monthly magazine Il Salvagente undermines this trust. The technicians have sifted through 12 products on sale in Italian supermarkets and discount stores, and the results leave more than a doubt about the quality of what ends up in the glass. Pesticide residues appeared in several samples, sometimes with concentrations above the technical quantification limit set by the laboratory. Four products close the ranking, and the black top goes to a smoothie.
Macé apple, strawberry and banana, 13 pesticides in a small bottle
The lowest rating, a 4, goes to the Macé apple, strawberry and banana smoothie. The analyzes found 13 different phytosanitary substances in the 250 ml bottle. Three exceed the quantification threshold: fludioxonil (0.078 mg/kg), cyprodinil (0.054 mg/kg) and azoxystrobin (0.032 mg/kg). The other ten stop at the level of traces. The account does not end here, given that two mycotoxins also emerged in the smoothie, the T2 toxin, measured at 1,401 mcg/kg, and a trace of patulin. The product is made entirely of fruit and contains 9 grams of sugars per 100 ml. The price is 10.48 euros per litre.
Puertosol by Eurospin, four pesticides and three mycotoxins
Just above, with a 5, is Eurospin’s Puertosol apple and red fruit, a puree in a 100 gram bag. Here too the results are worrying. The laboratory found residues of four pesticides, but only acetamiprid (0.016 mg/kg) exceeded the threshold. He also found three mycotoxins: alternariol (1.397 mcg/kg), alternariol monomethyl ether (0.547 mcg/kg) and a trace of patulin. The fruit is 100% and the sugars reach 11.2 grams per 100 ml. The reported price is 0.45 euros per kilo.
Orsero and Innocent, the spirotetramat knot
With 5.9 points each, two products follow with an unwanted guest in common. It is spirotetramat, an insecticide that according to experts could interfere with the fertility and development of the fetus. The European Union has banned it from 30 June 2024, even though the samples analyzed were produced before that date.
Spirotetramat is present in the Innocent mango, passion fruit and apple, at a concentration of 0.078 mg/kg, and there are also traces of five other pesticides. Mycotoxins are absent and sugars stand at 11 grams per 100 ml. It is the only one of the four products not to be made entirely of fruit, which here stops at 70%. The 250 ml bottle costs 10.36 euros per litre.
In the Orsero mix of pureed fruit to drink, coconut and pineapple, spirotetramat is present at 0.065 mg/kg, with six other trace substances. Here too mycotoxins are absent. The fruit is 100% and the sugars reach 11 grams per 100 ml. The price is 9.92 euros per litre, again for the 250 ml format.
Pesticides beyond the quantification threshold
The laboratory has set the limit of quantification (Loq) at 0.005 mg/kg. Several active ingredients have surpassed it in more than one product. Let’s see better what it is:
The regulatory vacuum on fruit mixes
The Salvagente experts are keen to point out that the concentrations of pesticides detected are very low, and that the real problem lies elsewhere: the law does not set specific limits for the individual active ingredients in products that mix different fruits, a gap that makes it even more difficult for buyers to understand how safe certain products are.
Mycotoxins, only patulin has a limit
Among mycotoxins, patulin is the only one regulated in fruit juices. The maximum limit is 50 mcg/kg for products intended for adults and children over 3 years. In the test, only minimal traces emerged, below the quantification limit, and only in Eurospin’s Macé and Puertosol smoothies. It was not found in any other sample. For the other mycotoxins looked for by the laboratory, at the moment, the law does not provide any limits.
How grades were assigned
In the evaluation system the parameters do not all weigh equally. Pesticides are worth 50% of the final judgment, mycotoxins 30% and sugar content the remaining 20%. The score was mainly affected by the presence of mycotoxins and the number of pesticides detected, even if only present in traces. Products with spirotetramat received an additional penalty.
So, in summary, the products with the lowest test scores are the following:
It must be said that the test does not fail everyone and other products have obtained excellent ratings.
