Pesticide Residues in Processed Foods: Not a Food Safety Concern

Abstract

Residue analyses results indicate that residues of triazine herbicides are not a source of concern to the processed foods industry. As with all properly applied pesticides, no food safety concerns are warranted. A close examination of the FDA Residue Monitoring program data show no residues of cyanazine, atrazine, simazine or ametryn in 1992, 1993, or 1994 representing 76,973 samples. The NFPA database (6563 values) contains one positive value (0.04 ppm) for simazine in corn and one positive value for atrazine in wheat rough (0.05 ppm). Several general pesticide issues which continue to confront the industry include inadvertent spray residues, residue concentration in soil, illegal or unintentional use of unregistered or canceled materials, consumer expectations for residue-free products, pesticide use by foreign product sources, and pesticide standards in countries to which we export. These industry concerns are discussed. The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) has long been interested in the issue of pesticide residues on processed foods, or foods ready to eat. In 1960, we developed the NFPA Protective Screen Program. The objective of this program is the prevention of illegal or unnecessary residues in processed foods. The program, a set of detailed recommendations that have evolved from more than 25 years of experience in the operation of active programs that are helpful in the prevention of illegal or unnecessary residues, is published annually NFPA has been involved in research on pesticide residue chemistry, the influence of food processing operations that remove pesticide residues from foods, and the development and improvement of analytical methods for detection and quantitation of pesticide residues for more than forty years. Over the past eight years we have built and maintained a substantial pesticide residue 116