50% of bread sold in supermarkets now contain at least two pesticides

Half of bread bought in supermarkets now contains two or more pesticides – double that of a year ago, official tests have found.

Checks conducted on white and brown loaves, crumpets, scones and muffins found 11 different pesticides.

Just under a third of vegetables (30 per cent) and more than two-thirds of fruit (69 per cent) were found to contain residues of more than one chemical, according to the most recent data published by the UK government.

Campaign group Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) found a total of 137 different pesticide residues across all produce, including many linked to serious chronic health effects.

It has compiled a list of a dozen fruit and vegetables that are most likely fruits to be contaminated with multiple pesticides, with grapes and grapefruit topping the list.

Policy officer Nick Mole said more action was needed to tackle the growing levels of pesticides in our foods.

All grapefruits tested were found to have multiple pesticide residues present, with more than 90 per cent of grapes, 70 per cent of bananas and more than 60 per cent of berries.

Nearly half of the pesticides found were banned in the UK, suggesting they are the result of imports.

He said: ‘With the cost of living crisis forcing people to spend less on food, its vital that consumers can trust that relatively cheap products like bread won’t expose them to dangerous mixtures of chemicals.’

Tests conducted on fruit and vegetables found 14 different pesticides on grapes, 13 on raspberries and 12 on peppers.

Mr Mole added: ‘There is a growing body of evidence showing that pesticides can become more harmful when they’re combined with each other. 

‘And yet we continue to set safety limits for just one chemical at a time.

‘We actually have no idea of the long-term impacts of consuming tiny amounts of hundreds of different chemicals. 

‘We are choosing to play Russian roulette with people’s health’.