A new study has detected widespread contamination of cereal-based foods across Europe with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a toxic “forever chemical” that forms when pesticides containing PFAS break down in soil. According to Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN), TFA levels in breakfast cereals were on average 100 times higher than those found in tap water, making them the most contaminated product tested.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used in industry and consumer goods since the 1950s and are known for their extreme persistence, remaining in the environment for centuries. TFA, one of their breakdown products, is reprotoxic—linked to risks for fertility, foetal development, thyroid issues, liver damage, immune disruption, and potentially cancer.
Researchers analysed 65 conventional cereal products from 16 European countries, the first EU-wide screening of its kind. TFA was found in 81.5% of samples, particularly in wheat-based products. The highest levels appeared in Irish breakfast cereal, followed by Belgian and German wholemeal bread and French baguettes. Contamination also appeared in pasta, flour, sweets, croissants and other baked goods.
Campaigners say governments must tighten safety limits and ban PFAS-containing pesticides to stop further contamination. At present, TFA levels in food are not routinely monitored.
Although the UK was not included in the study, PFAS pesticides remain widely used there, with 27 known active ingredients—six classed as highly hazardous. PAN warns that without regulatory action, contamination will continue to enter soil, water and food chains.
“All people are exposed to TFA,” PAN Europe stated, urging immediate bans to protect consumers—especially children—from increasing chemical exposure.
