The 2021 European Union report on pesticide residues in food

Abstract

Under European Union legislation (Article 32, Regulation (EC) No 396/2005), EFSA is to provide an annual report assessing the pesticide residue levels in foods on the European market. In 2021, 96.1% of the overall 87,863 samples analysed fell below the maximum residue level (MRL), 3.9% exceeded this level, of which 2.5% were non‐compliant, i.e. samples exceeding the MRL after accounting for the measurement uncertainty. For the EU‐coordinated multiannual control programme subset, 13,845 samples were analysed of which 2.1% exceeded the MRL and 1.3% were non‐compliant. To assess acute and chronic risk to consumer health, dietary exposure to pesticide residues was estimated and compared with available health‐based guidance values (HBGVs). A new pilot methodology based on probabilistic assessment was introduced to provide the probability of subjects being expose to an exceedance of the HBGV. Recommendations to risk manager are given to increase the effectiveness of European control systems and to ensure a high level of consumer protection throughout the EU.

Morphological, Histological, and Glyphosate Residue Analysis of Helianthus annuus L. Plants Treated with Glyphosate

“…On the one hand, the global application of glyphosate exceeds 1000 kilotonnes per year, resulting in the emergence of glyphosate residues as a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. On the other hand, reported exceedance of the official maximum residue levels (MRLs) of glyphosate residues in food appeared to be very low (0.15% incidence) in the European Union in 2021 [48]. However, these exceedances included pseudo-cereals, the category sunflowers belong to.…”

The 2022 European Union report on pesticide residues in food

“…The probabilistic exposure assessment is executed to calculate the probabilities of exceedance of the ARfD, in different national subpopulation of European consumers. This year, the scope was expanded to all pesticides listed in the 2022 EU MACP Regulation (not only to those exceeding the percentage of ARfD in the acute deterministic risk assessment (Section 5.1 ), as done in 2021 (EFSA, 2023c ).…”

“…EFSA calculated the probabilities of exceedance of the ADI of pesticides in different subpopulation of European consumers. The purpose of these calculations is to provide readers with a deeper insight into the risk of dietary exposure to pesticides by extending the list of pesticides to the 193 included in 2022 EU MACP Regulation in respect to last year's (EFSA, 2023c ) where only the 29 pesticides found to exceed the acute HBGV in the deterministic risk assessment where considered. Samples included were those of 2020, 2021 and 2022.…”

A comparison of the determination of multiple pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, and edible fungi using gas chromatography combined with filtration purification and solid-phase extraction

“…Therefore, formulating maximum residue limits (MRLs) standards for pesticides has become crucial for many countries and organizations to strengthen risk management and control of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. [3][4][5] Common methods for testing pesticide residues include gas chromatography (GC), 6 liquid chromatography (LC), 7 gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), 8,9 liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 10,11 Mass spectrometry, known for its high selectivity and sensitivity, is particularly suited for detecting trace substances.…”