Colorful, versatile, much loved on Italian tables, peppers are among the most consumed vegetables, but also those that cause the greatest concern in terms of pesticides. According to Legambiente’s Stop pesticides on the plate 2025 dossier, they are the vegetable with the highest percentage of irregular samples: 3.5% out of 143 analyzed do not comply with the legal limits.
The data fits into a broader framework that concerns the entire conventional agricultural system. Out of 4,682 food samples examined including fruit, vegetables, cereals and processed products, 47.6% of conventional products contain pesticide residues.
Even more alarming is the spread of the so-called multi-residue: over 30% of the samples have a combination of pesticides inside them.
Fruits and vegetables under observation
Legambiente’s analysis, carried out with the support of AssoBio and Consorzio Il Biologico, shows particularly evident critical issues in fruit. In this sector, 75.57% of the samples contain more residues, while 2.21% are non-compliant, which means breaking the permitted limit.
Peppers as a symbolic case. In addition to the highest percentage of irregularities among vegetables, the presence of Tetramethrinan insecticide banned since 2002. This is not an isolated episode: traces of DDT, a substance banned for decades, also appear in potatoes and courgettes. Signs that tell of an environmental contamination that is still difficult to eliminate.
Multiresidue
One of the most critical passages of the dossier concerns the growth of the multiresidue, which affects 30.26% of the samples analyzed. The combination of multiple pesticides in the same food raises serious questions about the current European legislation, which evaluates individual substances but does not consider the cumulative and synergistic effects of repeated exposure.
Insecticides and fungicides remain the most frequent molecules, often present in regular traces from a formal point of view, but potentially problematic on a health level.
The comparison with organic
The comparison with organic agriculture appears clear, given that 87.7% of the organic samples are completely free of pesticides. A single case of irregularity, most likely attributable to drift from nearby fields, does not alter the general picture.
For Legambiente this is confirmation that agricultural models with low chemical impact guarantee higher safety standards, without sacrificing production competitiveness.
Beyond the legal limits
The dossier reiterates a key point: respecting regulatory limits does not equate to truly protecting health. The widespread presence of residues, especially multiple ones, requires a structural reduction in the use of pesticides, accompanied by agricultural policies oriented towards sustainability.
Among the solutions indicated are the transition towards agroecology, the use of biocontrol, the protection of the soil and pollinators, together with concrete incentives for farmers who adopt crop rotations and short and transparent supply chains.
Food safety, underlines Legambiente, cannot depend only on final checks or individual choices. We need a change of pace in European and national policies, capable of truly reducing the weight of pesticides in the fields and, consequently, on the plates.
Here you can find the Legambiente dossier.
