On Thursday 4 December 2025, it was reported by Mouvement Ecologique that a new study by Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe) revealed widespread contamination of common cereals in Luxembourg with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a persistent chemical in the PFAS family. 

The pan-European study by PAN Europe, produced in collaboration with local groups including Luxembourg’s Mouvement Ecologique, stated that contamination included breakfast cereals, popular sweets, pasta, croissants, wholemeal and white bread, as well as flour.

According to Mouvement Ecologique, there are currently no official food analyses that systematically examine TFA and this study represented the first of its scale at EU-level. It followed a series of reports by PAN Europe in recent months, which have detected TFA in surface water, groundwater, drinking and mineral water, as well as in wine.

Mouvement Ecologique noted that because cereal products form a central part of the diet, it is important to investigate the extent of TFA contamination in these everyday foods. It stated that this is a necessary step to determine whether the measured levels of contamination pose potential health risks. For this study, Mouvement Ecologique provided products from Luxembourg which, according to packaging or seller information, were produced from grain grown in Luxembourg. Mouvement Ecologique highlighted that in samples from other EU countries, the origin of the grain was not considered to the same extent.

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a persistent chemical in the PFAS family. It is a highly stable pollutant that accumulates in soils, groundwater, and crops, with wheat absorbing particularly high amounts. Scientists warn that TFA can disrupt hormones, affect reproduction, lower sperm quality and harm the thyroid, liver and immune system.

According to the study, TFA enters the environment mainly through PFAS-based pesticides and F-gases used in cooling and air-conditioning systems. In the study, PAN Europe analysed 66 cereal products from sixteen countries. The average TFA concentration was 78.9 micrograms per kilogram — over 100 times higher than levels previously detected in European drinking water. Some products, particularly in Ireland, contained as much as 360 micrograms per kilogram. Luxembourgish samples ranged from 39 micrograms per kilogram in spelt flour to 120 micrograms per kilogram in wheat flour, while rye bread and oat flakes showed no detectable TFA.

Daily intake estimates showed children aged three to nine faced the highest exposure, averaging 35% of PAN Europe’s proposed acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 1.8 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. On high-consumption days, this can exceed 150% of the recommended limit. Adults (ages 18 to 65) averaged 14% of the ADI, with extreme cases reaching nearly 70%. Hypothetical scenarios using actual tested products showed a child could reach 186% of the ADI in a single day, while an adult could reach 70%.

The report also highlighted that TFA exposure is not limited to cereals, with previous studies detecting it in vegetables, fruits, herbs, plant-based drinks, wine, beer, tap and mineral water, as well as air, rain and dust. However, EU authorities have yet to calculate total daily exposure from all sources. PAN Europe called for the urgent establishment of strict, health-based limits, noting that current safety thresholds vary widely and often rely on outdated or industry-linked studies. 

The group urged the EU to regulate TFA under pesticide legislation. Existing EU rules stipulate that harmful pesticide residues should remain below 0.01 milligrams per kilogram, yet many measured TFA levels exceeded this. Luxembourg has banned one PFAS pesticide, Flufenacet, but others, like Flutolanil, remain approved. Mouvement Ecologique called on Luxembourg authorities to support farmers in transitioning to PFAS-free and organic practices, citing existing examples of successful chemical-free agriculture.

PAN Europe also highlighted that continued PFAS pesticide approval was in conflict with EU groundwater rules, which forbid substances whose metabolites exceed 0.1 micrograms per litre. TFA regularly surpasses this threshold, prompting Denmark to ban such pesticides and encouraging other EU countries to follow suit.

PAN Europe and Mouvement Ecologique called for immediate measures, including: 

• banning PFAS-based pesticides;

• adopting a stricter health-protective ADI;

• implementing systematic food monitoring;

• setting strong limits on F-gases under REACH;

• supporting farmers transitioning to organic or chemical-free agriculture.