European Food Passes Pesticide Safety Test - more to be done

Given that virtually all of the food we eat is protected by advanced pest and disease management, the report’s findings clearly demonstrate the high level of safety performance by science based European agriculture. (Photo: 'David/Schofield' Flickr)

Safety Authority shows residues kept to a minimum - safe practices are key

The report shows that 97,4% of the samples were within the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides permitted for food products in the EU, which is higher than the previous year. More pesticide residues exceeding the MRLs were found in food imported from countries outside the European Union (6,9%) than in samples originating in the EU (1,5%).

These are the findings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its Annual Report on Pesticide Residues for testing carried out in 2009.

“A high level of label compliance in correct pesticide application is necessary to avoid MRL exceedances. Though the overall EFSA report results are positive, we see that there is still a need for further education to be made if we are to avoid all MRL exceedances.” said Friedhelm Schmider, Director General of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA). “Industry in Europe is committed to helping strengthen education, training and advisory programs to this end. We will continue working with our stakeholders in order to improve results further .”

“Safety is paramount at every stage. Stewardship and an ethos of continuous improvement are the keys for crop science,” concluded Schmider.

EFSA indicated that the presence of pesticides in foods, and in many cases even the exceedance of an MRL, does not necessarily imply a food safety concern. For the assessment of long-term exposure, EFSA concluded that none of the evaluated pesticides raised health concerns.