A new study has found widespread contamination of European cereal products with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a toxic “forever chemical” formed when pesticides containing PFAS break down in soil. Conducted by Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN), the research revealed that average TFA concentrations in breakfast cereals were around 100 times higher than those found in tap water.
TFA was detected in 53 out of 65 cereal samples collected across 16 European countries, marking the first EU-wide analysis of its presence in food. Wheat-based items were among the most contaminated, with the highest levels found in an Irish breakfast cereal, followed by Belgian and German wholemeal bread, and French baguette. Contamination was also identified in pasta, croissants, flour, sweets, and other common bakery goods.
PFAS chemicals, used globally since the 1950s, are known for their extreme persistence in the environment—taking hundreds to thousands of years to break down. TFA is considered reprotoxic, with potential risks to fertility, foetal development, and key organs including the liver, thyroid, and immune system. Researchers warn that exposure is occurring through multiple routes, including food and water.
Campaigners are urging governments to set stricter TFA safety limits, ban PFAS-based pesticides, and begin monitoring food for contamination. “We cannot expose children to reprotoxic chemicals. This demands immediate action,” said Angeliki Lysimachou of PAN Europe.
Although the study did not include the UK, its findings raise concern there as well. The country currently uses 27 PFAS pesticide ingredients—six classed as highly hazardous—highlighting broad implications for public health and food safety across Europe.
