Report: Coffee in Germany Contaminated with Banned Pesticides

A new report compiled by Coffee Watch, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, the INKOTA network, and the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK has uncovered concerning practices in coffee cultivation. According to the report, conventional coffee intended for sale in Germany frequently contains pesticides whose use is prohibited within the European Union.

The report identified a total of 159 pesticide active substances used in coffee production. A significant 59 percent of these have been classified as too hazardous for humans and the environment within the EU. Despite these prohibitions, these substances find their way into German consumers' coffee cups through global supply chains.

Silke Bollmohr from the INKOTA network, the report's lead author, highlighted the issue: "The report makes the double standards in the coffee industry clearly visible: pesticides deemed too dangerous in the EU are exported to coffee-growing countries. There, they are used under much weaker protection standards, and the coffee produced this way then returns to our supermarkets. However, it is the workers, their families, and the populations in the growing regions who bear the health consequences." Svane Bender from Deutsche Umwelthilfe added that the damage caused by highly toxic pesticides in coffee cultivation to both people and nature is catastrophic.

The involved organizations are calling for the German government and the EU to cease the export of pesticides banned in Europe. They also demand that companies be held more accountable for co-financing the transition to ecologically sustainable coffee production that respects human rights. The report estimates that approximately one in five cups of coffee may contain toxic pesticide residues, with farmers in growing regions bearing the brunt of direct exposure, often without adequate protective gear.