EFSA Pesticides Annual Report 2016

EFSA published in July its report for the year 2016 on pesticide residues in food.

Results of monitoring programmes (European Coordinated Control Programme (EUCP) + national programmes) :

A total of 84,657 samples were analysed and 791 pesticides and metabolites researched.

– 96.2% of the samples analysed as part of the European programme for the monitoring of pesticides in food comply with MRLs, 50.7% of which are free of quantifiable residues.

– 3.8% of the samples exceeded the MRLs (2.2% were found to be non-compliant due to measurement uncertainty).

The overall compliance rate is slightly lower than the previous year (97.2%) but the difference is mainly due to the presence of chlorate residues, a compound that was first taken into account in 2016 in the control programmes that accompany the ongoing work to determine maximum residue limits.

In general, the matrices with the most non-compliance are:

For unprocessed products:

– Basil and edible flowers (36.9%)

– Watercress (33.3%)

– Passion fruit (24.3%)

– Teas (23.9%)

For processed products:

– Vine leaves (72.5%)

– Goat’s milk (33.3%)

– Teas (21.1%)

– Tomatoes (12%)

Results of the European Coordinated Control Programme 2016 (EUCP) : 

In total, 12,168 samples were analysed and 165 pesticides were sought in 11 food products (apples, cabbage, leek, lettuce, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, rye, wine, cow’s milk and pork fat).

– 98.3% of the samples analysed were found to comply with MRLs, 52.3% of which were free of quantifiable residues.

– 1.7% of the samples exceeded the MRLs (0.9% were considered non-compliant due to measurement uncertainty).

The non-compliance rate has increased compared to the 2015 results, due to the high number of exceedances of chlorpyrifos, the active substance for which MRLs were lowered for many crops in 2016.

The pesticides that have been most frequently quantified in plant products are bromide ions, boscalid, fludioxonil, fluopyram, cyprodinil, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, dithiocarbamates, dithianon, chlormequat, mepiquat and glyphosate.

Pesticides most frequently quantified by matrix of plant origin analysed:

– Apples (captan, boscalid, dithianon, fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, dithiocarbamates and dodine)

– Head cabbage (difenoconazole, azoxystrobin, boscalid, thiametoxam and thiacloprid)

– Leeks (dithiocarbamates, tebuconazole, boscalid, azoxystrobin and difenoconazole).

– Lettuce (bromide ions, boscalid, imidacloprid, propamocarb, dithiocarbamates)

– Peaches (tebuconazole, fludioxonil, dithiocarbamates, boscalid, etofenprox, spinosad and fluopyram).

– Strawberries (cyprodinil, fludioxonil, boscalid, fluopyram, fenhexamid, trifloxystrobin, pyraclotrobin, captan, azoxystrobin, myclobutanil, thiacloprid and spinosad).

– Tomatoes (bromide ions, fluopyram, dithiocarbamates, spiromesifen, chlorantraniliprole, boscalid and acetamiprid)

– Rye (chlormequat, mepiquat, pirimiphos-methyl and glyphosate).

– Wine (metalaxyl, dimethomorph, folpet, boscalid, fenhexamid, methoxyfenozide, iprovalicarb and pyrimethanil).

The most frequently quantified pesticides in products of animal origin: DDT, hexachlorobenzene and chlordane

Pesticides most frequently quantified by matrix of animal origin analysed:

– Cow’s milk (hexachlorobenzene, DDT, chlordane, alpha HCH).

– Pork fat (DDT, chloradane, cypermethrin and permethrin).

Rye had the lowest rate of MRL exceedance (0.7%), followed by cabbage (1.1%) and strawberries (1.8%).

In contrast, the highest overrun rates were recorded for apples (2.7%) and tomatoes (2.6%).

Based on the results of the short and long-term dietary exposure assessment, EFSA concluded that the probability of exposure to pesticide residues exceeding concentrations likely to cause adverse health effects is low.

You will find the complete details of this 2016 report at the link below: https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5348