93% Met the Standard: The Inspection That Surprised the Ministry of Agriculture
In samples of pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, and spices across the country, it was found that most met the standard requirements, and in 41 crops, no deviations were found at all. 45.4% of the samples were found to be free of pesticide residues entirely.
The report on pesticide residues in local agricultural produce for 2025 presents a positive picture regarding food safety in Israel. During the year, inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security sampled about 800 samples of fruits, vegetables, and spices from 68 different crops collected from all regions of the country.
The survey findings show that 93.2% of the tested samples met the requirements of the Israeli standard. The most significant success in the report is the fact that in 41 different crops, no deviations were found at all.
Among the crops that fully met the standard, one can find central products in the Israeli consumer basket such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. Fruits such as avocados, mangoes, bananas, dates, and citrus fruits also recorded zero deviations. In addition, 45.4% of all tested samples were found to be free of pesticide residues entirely.
Another success was recorded within the framework of regional pest control projects, where 96.9% of the samples were found to be compliant, which indicates an improvement in the efficiency of pest control and a reduction in the use of chemical substances.
On the other hand, failures and deviations were mainly concentrated in the fresh spice sector intended for export, which were tested this year for the first time to identify gaps compared to the requirements of the European Union. The inclusion of this component raised the general deviation rate to 6.8%, while in the ongoing survey without export spices, the deviation rate stood at only 3.5%.
Most deviations do not stem from a dangerous amount of substances but from the use of preparations that are not officially approved for the specific crop, a situation common in small crops like spices.
In these cases, even a tiny residue is considered a regulatory deviation according to the Israeli standard, although testing according to European standards showed that more than 70% of these cases would not have been considered a deviation there.
In conclusion, the survey results indicate a trend of increasing awareness among farmers regarding the correct use of pesticides and maintaining public health. The Ministry of Agriculture is working to expand the range of approved preparations to provide tailored solutions for farmers and reduce regulatory deviations in the future.
The findings indicate that individual deviations do not necessarily indicate a health risk, as the permitted values are set with wide safety margins to protect the public.
