Frequently Asked Questions - Health

Pesticides and pharmaceuticals are the most thoroughly tested chemicals in the world, and only those that pass through strict government testing are authorized for use. Rigorous scientific assessments ensure that their use is safe both for human health and the environment. Any residues present on crops are also scrupulously and regularly assessed to ensure that food is safe for consumption.

To learn more from the European Commission on Plant Protection Products (PPPs) and food safety, click here.

In certain cases, crops that aren't sprayed with pesticides generate their own natural poison as a defence mechanism to protect themselves against diseases. These 'natural' toxins can be harmful to man too. Before food regulations were introduced a century ago, food was frequently contaminated by microorganisms, such as fungi, which produce poisons often harmful to man.

Crops are continuously attacked by thousands of species of weeds, plant diseases, insects, worms, fungi, moulds, viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. These pests and diseases have caused epidemics and crisises in Europe. For example, late blight caused the Potato famine in Ireland in the 18th century and powdery mildew in French grapes in 1954 reduced wine production by 75%.

Pesticides help to provide us with a choice of fruits and vegetables of high quality and sufficient availability all year round . A diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps prevent cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. To reap those benefits, the World Health Organisation recommends eating 400g of fruits and vegetables per day. Pesticides play a key role in keeping the price of food affordable so that families of all income ranges can afford it. The UK Food Standards Agency states “by protecting crops, pesticides help to provide a plentiful supply of food all the year round. If pesticides were not used, this could affect the availability and prices of food”.

A maximum residue level or MRL is the maximum amount of residue legally permitted on food. Once residues are demonstrated to be safe for consumers, MRLs are set by independent scientists, based on rigorous evaluation of each pesticide legally authorised. They act as an indicator of the correct use of pesticides, and ensure compliance with legal requirements for low residues on unprocessed food. MRLs are trading standards used to ensure that imported and exported food is safe to eat. In practice, they allow the free movement of goods within the EU and from the rest of the world.

Watch our webinar on pesticide residues and MRLs.

For a particular pesticide, a 68 kg man would have to eat 3,000 heads of lettuce every day of his life to exceed the level of a residue that has been proven to have no effect on laboratory animals.

In the same way, for another pesticide, an 18 kg boy would have to eat 534 apples every day of his life to exceed a residue level that is not dangerous to laboratory animals. And an 18 kg girl would have to eat 13,636 kg of carrots every day of her life to exceed such a level.

Since 1st September 2008, MRLs are now established by an independent scientific authority at European level. ECPA welcomes this, as it enhances the transparency and harmonization. In practice, one MRL is set for one crop and one pesticide in all EU countries. It also provides wider options for farmers to use the best suited pesticide for their crop. MRLs are not safety limits. In practice, they are set at levels low enough to ensure that safety margins protecting the consumer are not reached. For more info on two specific safety values used, the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD).

Click here to learn more about European legislation monitoring residues on food.

The latest annual residue report confirms that the vast majority of food tested (96%) contained no residues or residues below the MRL. Very occasionally, residues occur at levels above MRLs, 4.4% in the latest report. This can happen because pesticides are not applied correctly or because exceptional climatic or crop conditions occurred, for example a hot humid summer with high incidence of fungus in crops. Because of the very wide safety margins used while setting MRLs, residue levels above MRLs do not usually mean that there is a concern.

Watch our webinar on pesticide residues and MRLs.

Daily consumption of a range of fruits and vegetables helps to protect you against cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. As highlighted by the UK Pesticide Residues Committee, scientific evidence shows that the health benefits far outweigh any concerns about pesticide residues. This is also confirmed by several National Health and Nutrition programmes.

Peeling or washing fruits and vegetables can reduce pesticides residues. While washing is a matter of hygiene, peeling is not indispensable. Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) authorised for food, which are established by independent scientists and authorised by Authorities, are set on the basis of food crops that are neither peeled nor washed. It is also important to note that the peel of several fruits and vegetables contains the majority of vitamins.

Watch our webinar on pesticide residues and MRLs.

Water protection takes a very high priority in EU policy-making with regard to pesticides. Before any pesticide can be sold, safety must be proven to the satisfaction of EU and national authorities. Companies must aim to develop products that do not appear in ground and surface water when used correctly by the farmer. In fact, the level of pesticides legally allowed in drinking water in the EU is equivalent to one in ten billion.

To give you an idea of how small an amount this is, it is the equivalent of four millimetres of the entire length of the equator.

Following the detection of multiple residues, some people ask “will a food which might have residues from more than one pesticide have an effect on my body or my health?” Many studies have been carried out to answer this question. The evidence shows that there is no concern for health from combined effects. This is because the trace amount of residues is extremely low or nonexistent. You can be reassured about the quality and safety of your food.

Endocrine disrupter is a term used by a number of government authorities and international advisory bodies to describe a natural or synthetic chemical that effects the functioning of the endocrine system (there is no officially and internationally agreed definition).

The endocrine system is a complex set of glands, hormones and receptor cells, which helps control the development, growth, reproduction and behaviour of animals and humans. An endocrine active substance is a chemical that only produces a temporary, adaptive response in the endocrine system but with no long-term adverse effects. Examples of endocrine active substances include natural hormones from animals and humans (e.g.estradiol, testosterone, insulin, epinephrine); natural substances, e.g. plant constituents (phytoestrogens); synthetic hormone drugs (i.e. substances developed to obtain a specific hormonal action, e.g. the female birth control pill).

The greatest potential source of exposure is through naturally-occurring hormones, like in soy products (milk, beans, yogurt), barley, vegetables, and in other natural products, which are a normal part of our daily food basket. Compared with the concentration of hormones released from these natural biological sources, synthetic chemicals, including plant protection products, account for a very low proportion of the total potential exposure.

The new EU regulation on the placing on the market of plant protection products, introduces endocrine disruption, which is a hazard-based criteria, as an immediate ban criteria (“cut-off criteria”). However, substances showing endocrine disruption properties can be subject to a derogation and be approved for maximum 5 years if it can be shown that the substance can be used safely and is “necessary to protect plant health”.

The ECPA position on endocrine disruptors can be found on our 'position papers' page at http://www.ecpa.eu/information-page/regulatory-affairs/position-papers