Sweden's control of chemicals in fruit and vegetables plummets, relies on industry

Sweden's oversight of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables has plummeted, with the state control shrinking by over 75 percent, positioning the country among the EU's lowest performers in this area. Historically, Sweden conducted extensive sampling, analyzing thousands of samples annually. As recently as 2019, the state carried out over 1,700 tests per year. However, this number has drastically reduced, hitting a low of just over 200 samples in recent years. While the figure rose to 422 in 2024, it still represents a significant decline from previous levels.

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We used to take out more samples, and we take out fewer now.

The Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) confirms the reduction in sampling. Maria Florin, a unit manager at the agency, stated, "We used to take out more samples, and we take out fewer now." The agency attributes the sharp decrease to internal reviews identifying "certain deficiencies" in its sampling program. However, the primary reason is a lack of funding and legal issues surrounding the financing of the program. Florin explained that a mixed financing model, relying on both company fees for some samples and tax funds for others, proved unsuccessful, forcing the agency to "take a major step back."

This reduction in state control has drawn criticism at the European level. The EU's food safety authority, Efsa, has identified Sweden as a laggard in its recent reports, noting that the country delivered only 49 percent of the legally mandated physical samples in 2022. By 2024, this figure had dropped to 40 percent. The Swedish Food Agency claims this criticism stems from a "reporting error" where national samples were mistakenly reported to the EU as mandatory.

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We had a mixed financing that relies on companies paying fees for some of our samples and then we have been able to use tax funds for some samples, and this division has not been particularly successful.

Efsa declined to comment on Sweden's specific actions, deferring to the EU Commission for regulatory matters. However, they emphasized that when member states fail to meet minimum requirements, it undermines the reliability of Europe's overall food safety statistics. The EU Commission has acknowledged awareness of the issues in Sweden, indicating potential follow-up actions.

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Somewhere we have the same goal.