THE PROVISION OF A GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND WIDE FOOD SAMPLE COLLECTION AND PURCHASE PROGRAMME FOR PESTICIDE RESIDUES TESTING 2026 ONWARD

The Health and Safety Executive has awarded a contract to Mintel Group Ltd for £1.276 million to provide a food sample collection and purchase programme across Great Britain and Northern Ireland for pesticide residues testing from 2026 onwards. The programme involves collecting retail food samples for analysis by official laboratories, covering obligatory named foods and pesticides as specified by GB and Northern Ireland regulatory requirements under Regulation 396/2005 and related EU regulations. Samples will be collected across the country from key retailers in various geographic areas on a rolling basis to represent market share and support ongoing national pesticide monitoring programmes.