Research carried out at the Technical University of Denmark's (DTU) National Food Institute has found fruit imported into the country generally has a higher pesticide content than Danish fruit, and that overall fruit has a higher content of pesticides than vegetables, though in many cases, the majority of pesticide residues in fruit are found in parts that aren't eaten, such as the skin or peel.

The study by DTU researchers followed on from earlier figures published in 2003. The results show that Danes' intake of pesticide residues appears to have stayed fairly constant over the past ten years. The researchers were keen to state that eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables each day does not constitute a health risk, and pointed out that the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables far outweigh any possible negative impacts.

Over the course of the current study, researchers examined the results of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration's studies of pesticide residues collected between 2004 and 2011. These include 7,309 samples of fruit, vegetables, grain-based foods, meat, baby food and 'other processed products'. The investigation revealed the presence of 250 different pesticide products in foods.

DTU researchers found that, "In general, pesticide residues are more often found in fruit than in vegetables, and foreign fruit contains more pesticide residues than Danish fruit." The share of Danish fruit with a content of pesticides under the EU maximum residue limits (MRL) for content in foods was between 38-67 percent. The corresponding share of 'foreign fruit' with a content of pesticides was between 61-82 percent in the study period.

3.8 percent of fruits and vegetables exceeded the EU MRLs for pesticide residues. In the report, the National Food Institute assessed both the health risk involved in eating a single pesticide and that posed by eating several pesticides simultaneously, as part of everyday eating patterns. Even in the cases where residues exceeded EU limits, they said "the content of pesticide residues does not pose a health risk to consumers."

National Food Institute Senior Adviser Bodil Hamborg Jensen commented, "The risk assessment showed that Danes have no risk of adverse health effects following exposure to pesticides in fruit and vegetables even following consumption of the recommended 600 grams of fruit and vegetables per day." She added, "If only commodities of Danish origin are consumed whenever possible, Danes can reduce their intake of pesticide residues by 50 percent."

Danish authorities have cracked down on a number of food-related health risks, but the government has recently raised concerns at an EU level, suggesting other states have not followed suit, putting the Danish public at risk and undermining strict measures taken within the country to drive progress in farming.

Last autumn, the Danish government called for pan-European action to tackle antibiotic resistance after a 2011 disease surveillance report revealed that nearly half of domestic and imported poultry carried anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Yvonne Agersø, also of the National Food Institute, said in October that EU trade rules and other countries' lack of support for decisive measures on antibiotics use were weakening Danish efforts to combat resistance.