Residue of Pesticides

Primary reference(s)

FAO and WHO, no date. Codex Alimentarius. Database for Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Food and Feed. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). Accessed 2 November 2020.

FAO and WHO, 2019. Codex Alimentarius Procedural Manual. 27th Edition. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). Accessed 2 November 2020.

Additional scientific description

Pesticide residue refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are applied to food crops or owing to their persistence in the environment or because of other uses such as vector control to combat endemic pests such as mosquitos transmitting malaria. Risk of pesticide residues mainly concerns occupational health of field workers, food safety (consumer health) and the environment. The maximum allowable levels of pesticide residues in foods are often stipulated by national regulatory bodies and by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) / World Health Organization (WHO) Food Standards Programme (Codex Alimentarius Commission).

The following definitions are relevant to the Codex Alimentarius (FAO, no date):

Pesticide: means any substance intended for preventing, destroying, attracting, repelling, or controlling any pest including unwanted species of plants or animals during the production, storage, transport, distribution and processing of food, agricultural commodities, or animal feeds or which may be administered to animals for the control of ectoparasites. The term can also include substances intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, desiccant, fruit-thinning agent, or sprouting inhibitor and substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from deterioration during storage and transport. The term normally excludes fertilisers, plant and animal nutrients, food additives, and animal drugs.

Maximum residue limit (MRL) for pesticide residues: is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue (expressed as mg/ kg), recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be legally permitted in or on food commodities and animal feeds. MRL setting is based on good agricultural practices data, and foods derived from commodities that comply with the respective MRLs are intended to be toxicologically acceptable.

Extraneous maximum residue limit (EMRL) for pesticide residues: refers to a pesticide residue or a contaminant arising from environmental sources including former agricultural uses but excluding use of the pesticide directly or indirectly on the food or feed. It is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue that is recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be legally permitted or recognised as acceptable in or on a food, agricultural commodity or animal feed. Pesticides for which EMRLs are most likely to be needed are persistent in the environment for a relatively long period after uses have been discontinued and are expected to occur in foods or feeds at levels of sufficient concern to warrant monitoring. The concentration is expressed in milligrams of pesticide residue or contaminant per kilogram of the commodity (mg/kg).

Note: A pesticide in food or feed is considered to be a risk for human health when above the limits established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Metrics and numeric limits

Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Food and Feed as set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO and WHO, no date a).

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

Drivers: Ensuring food security and food safety, international food trade, ensuring sustainable agriculture.

Outcomes: Increased horticulture production, protection of public health, safe food, facilitated trade flow.

Risk management: A national legislation and food control system, including food import control, export control, and national monitoring programmes.

Risk management measures: Science-based harmonised texts such as Codex standards, recommendations, guidelines, codes of practice, food safety and fair practices in food trade.

Control measures include reducing use of chemical pesticides, setting pre-harvest intervals and establishing MRLs based on exposure risk assessment and good agricultural practices. Scientific inputs for pesticide MRL standards setting are provided by the FAO / WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticides Residues (JMPR).