Pesticide residue, particularly in fruits and vegetables, has emerged as the most commonly cited food safety concern among consumers in East Africa.

This fear is fuelled by the heavy use of chemical pesticides in farming practices across the region, a new study by CABI has revealed.

Countries like Kenya and Uganda, where agriculture is a dominant sector, have seen widespread reliance on synthetic pesticides due to challenges in controlling pests in tropical climates.

Unfortunately, these pesticides, often applied excessively or improperly, have led to contamination of produce, raising concerns about potential health risks.

Read: Experts warn of toxic pesticides increase in Kenya

The study by CABI, which surveyed consumers in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Bangladesh and Pakistan, revealed that fear of pesticide residue influences purchasing decisions, and undermines consumer demand.

The results—published in Global Food Security on September 11—show that pesticide-related food safety concerns far outweigh worries about microbial contamination or food additives.

With many consumers becoming more cautious, many are opting to buy fruits and vegetables from specialist shops, shunning street vendors for fear of exposure to harmful chemicals.

This trend is particularly strong in urban areas where consumers have access to more information and can afford higher-quality produce.

Dr Justice Tambo, lead author of the study and senior socio-economist at CABI, said: “Fruits and vegetables are critical components of nutritious and healthy diets ... but there are growing concerns about food safety risks linked to their consumption.”

Several factors have contributed to this growing anxiety, according to the scientists, including the widespread use of synthetic pesticides and low adoption of non-chemical pest control methods.

The issue is further compounded by weak enforcement of pesticide regulations, meaning that unsafe levels of pesticide residue can enter the food supply chain, affecting both local and export markets.

In Kenya, for example, around 77 per cent of fruit and vegetable farmers rely on chemical pesticides, and nearly half of these farmers spray their crops weekly.

This over-reliance on chemicals has heightened concerns about the potential health risks.

The scientists found that, on average, only 56 per cent of the respondents across the surveyed countries had received any information about food safety, a gap that is particularly pronounced in Uganda and Pakistan, where fewer than half of the participants had been exposed to food safety messaging via media or health officials.

Read: Toxic pesticides banned in Europe being peddled to Global South farmers

These concerns about pesticides have broader implications for food security. Fruits and vegetables are essential to a balanced diet, providing important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre.

Yet, according to the World Health Organization, the average consumption of fruits and vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa remains far below the recommended 400 grams per person per day. In fact, the daily intake ranges from just 70 to 312 grams.