No more poison in our coffee!
To Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, and Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, the European Coffee Federation and Coffee Traders Associations.
Petition
Coffee is one of the least‑tested imported commodities despite proven high pesticide contamination rates. Consumers have a right to know what is in their cup, and we won’t accept residues of toxic poisons in our coffee. That’s why we ask you to:
- Require routine testing of all imported coffee, green and roasted.
- Require disclosure of all detected residues, including multi‑residue “cocktail effects.”
- Align import rules with export rules: if a pesticide is banned for use, it should not be tolerated as a residue.
- For the European Coffee Federation and Coffee Traders Associations to stop supporting or defending the use of pesticides that are prohibited in the EU, and to require that their members and suppliers stop using them.
Why is this important?
For millions across Europe, coffee is a daily ritual. A moment to wake up, take a break, or catch up with friends. That’s why this caught me off guard: Our coffee is being poisoned.
One in every five cups of coffee sold in Europe contains toxic pesticides. Often, it’s not just one pesticide, but a cocktail of chemicals - including some that Europe has already banned because they're linked to cancer, birth defects, neurological damage, and the destruction of nature. [1]
How is that possible? There is a loophole: European companies can still manufacture the poisons and export them to countries where our coffee is grown. [2]
Farmers, farm workers, and nearby communities are exposed to chemicals Europe decided are too dangerous for us. Water sources are polluted. Wildlife suffers. Entire ecosystems are put at risk.
And the poison doesn't stay there. It comes back to Europe in the coffee we drink every day.
The European Coffee Federation meets in a few days at the very moment the EU is revising its rules on pesticides. [3] Until now, almost no one outside the industry has been watching. This changes if thousands of us from across Europe speak up now.
Let's send them a message: keep poison out of our coffee.
References:
- https://coffeewatch.org/poison-in-your-coffee/
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/10/the-eus-double-standard-on-toxic-pesticides
- https://www.ecf-coffee.org/category/whats-new/events/ ; https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/05/27/council-agrees-position-to-simplify-and-strengthen-food-and-feed-safety-requirements/
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