On the one hand, agrochemicals can be beneficial for crops and producers, as they help their growth and development. However, beyond the damage to the health of people who consume fruits or vegetables that have been in contact With these substances, the absence of pesticide residues benefits the environment in terms of reducing phytosanitary treatments. In this sense, we highlight Auchan's goal in 2019 of producing 56,000 tons of fruits and vegetables without pesticide residues, allowing to reduce the use of phytosanitary products in about 66,800 liters.

Although the use of these products is legal, the problem arises when agrochemical residues remain in the products that are available for sale and consumption by people.

To prevent pesticide residues from being present at levels that may pose an unacceptable risk to humans and animals, the European Commission has set and harmonized, since 2008, the maximum residue limits (MRLs) of pesticides allowed in food and feed in the European Union and has established that the member states of the European Union carry out surveillance and control programs of residues in food and feed.