imazalil
- Detection Rate
- 6.1%
- Benchmark Usage
- 1.14%
fruit Data Profile#8 of 29 in fruits
Lemons
Lemons has a pesticide load score of 69 and a Food Compass 2.0 score of 100, based on 1,295 monitoring samples.
Pesticide Load69Higher load (0=clean, 100=max)
Food Compass 2.0100exact nutritional match
Monitoring Samples1,2952019–2024 lab tests
Benchmark Coverage62.2%of detected residue load
Preparation & Safety
How to wash and prepare lemons
Because lemons has higher surface permeability, synthetic pesticides easily adhere to the skin. To reduce exposure by up to 80–90%, soak in a 1% baking soda water solution (1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups cold water) for 12 to 15 minutes, then rinse vigorously under running water.
Market Comparison
How lemons varies by market
| Market | Load Score | Samples Tested | Detection Rate | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 83 | 96 | 88.5% | ✓ Solid (96) |
| DE | 65 | 493 | 66.5% | ✓ Solid (493) |
| FR | 68 | 21 | 57.1% | ⚠️ Sparse (21) |
| IT | 53 | 417 | 19.7% | ✓ Solid (417) |
| ES | 71 | 16 | 62.5% | ⚠️ Sparse (16) |
| PT | 89 | 18 | 77.8% | ⚠️ Sparse (18) |
| CA | 85 | 234 | 88.5% | ✓ Solid (234) |
⚠️ Data Note: Markets marked with Sparse have under 30 official laboratory samples in the public record. A 0% detection in sparse tests does not guarantee absolute absence of residue in that region.
Chemical Residue Breakdown
Primary chemicals detected on lemons
Imazalil
- Detection Rate
- 14.1%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.357%
Pyrimethanil
- Detection Rate
- 12.4%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.134%
Thiabendazole
- Detection Rate
- 12.7%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.125%
Public Evidence Trail
Official monitoring sources for lemons
CanadaCFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program
234 samples · 2019–2022 ↗FranceEFSA chemical monitoring — France
21 samples · 2024–2024 ↗GermanyEFSA chemical monitoring — Germany
493 samples · 2021–2024 ↗ItalyEFSA chemical monitoring — Italy
417 samples · 2020–2024 ↗PortugalEFSA chemical monitoring — Portugal
18 samples · 2020–2024 ↗SpainEFSA chemical monitoring — Spain
16 samples · 2024–2024 ↗United KingdomUK Pesticide Residues in Food programme
96 samples · 2023–2023 ↗TaiwanTaiwan FDA fruit and vegetable monitoring
149 samples · 2021–2026 ↗Explore Peer Produce
