Consuming fruits and vegetables WITHOUT Pesticide Residues, guaranteed by ZERYA®

Within the framework of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), products are not merely required to be safe. It demands that safety be demonstrable, that the production chain be transparent from end to end, and that consumption be backed by verified information. In the fruit and vegetable sector, these three requirements converge into one specific question: What exactly is in the fruit that reaches the supermarket shelf?

SDG 12

A product metric, not a process metric

The ZERYA® Pesticide Residue-Free program inverts the traditional logic of traceability. The guarantee does not rely on logs of what has been applied, but on the analysis of what is present in the fruit. To be marketed under the ZERYA® label, a product must prove through independent laboratory analysis that its pesticide residues are non-detectable or below 1% of the legally established MRLs (Maximum Residue Limits). This result is the condition for accessing the seal, not a monitoring indicator.

The ZERYA® Pesticide Residue-Free program reduces the chemical load at the source, certifies and documents this result, and provides the consumer with a verified guarantee—not just a statement of intent on the packaging.

See: https://zerya.org/zerya_sin_residuos_de_pesticidas/

What changes for each link in the chain

For the producer, the ZERYA® protocol transforms the field logbook from a compliance document into a roadmap toward a specific analytical result. Achieving this result requires replacing conventional plant protection products with biological alternatives and rational uses, supported by ZERYA®’s technical guidance throughout the season. The direct consequence is a reduction of the synthetic chemical load on the plot: less residue in the soil, less pressure on beneficial fauna, and lower operator exposure during application. The goal of responsible production is not an aspiration; it is a certification requirement.

For the distributor and retailer, the seal transforms risk management. A RASFF alert regarding a product on the shelf carries a reputational and logistical cost that far exceeds any certification expense. Having product analytics rather than just process logs reduces this exposure in a documentable way. Chains like Continente/MC Sonae in Portugal and Albert CZ in the Czech Republic work with ZERYA® producers precisely because this argument withstands the scrutiny of their quality and sustainability departments.

SDG 12 speaks of responsible supply chains: ZERYA provides the evidence that makes that responsibility auditable.

For the consumer, the difference lies in the type of guarantee they receive. A conventional product that respects MRLs complies with current regulations: maximum limits are set to be safe under estimated chronic exposure. A ZERYA® product goes beyond this legal standard. It is not about residues being tolerable, but about them not being present in detectable amounts. This is third-party verified information that aligns exactly with what SDG 12 defines as responsible consumption: purchasing decisions based on real data, not promises.

Responsible production as a starting point, not a destination

SDG 12 places responsibility across the entire chain, but the chain begins in the field. Reducing the pesticide footprint in fruit and vegetable production is not solely an environmental requirement: it is the prerequisite for responsible consumption to be possible.

ZERYA® proposes that the metric for this responsibility be the analysis of residues in the fruit, audited before commercialization by an independent body. It is a technical response to a structural problem in the chain, and at the same time, the most concrete translation that the fruit and vegetable sector can make of SDG 12: to produce and demonstrate in a verifiable way. Without self-declarations.

Candela Strawberries without Pesticide Residues - ZERYA®

More information at ZERYA.ORG

Picture, un.org