Monitoring data for pesticides are generally scarce in many countries of the world, especially in developing countries. In Burkina Faso, there are few scientific data on the occurrence and concentrations of pesticide residues in staple foods found in local markets. Using QuEChERS extraction method and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, samples of commonly eaten foods from five localities of Burkina Faso were evaluated by targeting more than 40 pesticides. It appears that 58.1% of all the collected samples exhibited at least one or more pesticide residues. Among those, 36.5% of the samples had at least one pesticide with a concentration above the maximum residue level (MRL) value. Unfortunately, no MRL data was available for dried ish which is a widely consumed food in this part of Africa. Simazine was found in tomatoes, pyrethroids in cereals, while dried ish contained most of the pesticides detected. The assessment of long-term health risks revealed that dieldrin quantified in dried ish showed more than 250% of acceptable daily intake which was then labelled as unacceptable high risk. For hazardous foods, more sampling should be carried out for a better assessment of the health risks involved.

Food quality control QuEChERS method Residual pesticides