Food News

The draft update of the EU monitoring programme for the official control of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables has been published.

For the years 2023 and 2024 it does not foresee any changes compared to Regulation (EC) 2021/601. For 2025, SANTE draft proposes controls for the following product groups: Apples, strawberries, peaches (incl. nectarines and similar hybrids), wine, lettuce, head cabbage, tomatoes, spinach and among cereals for oat and barley grains. The testing spectrum is to be extended to up to 181 active substances, with ethylene oxide (not in fruit and vegetables) and maleic acid hydrazide for onions and potatoes to be newly included for 2025.

German monitoring laboratories are expected to test 106 samples (=15.5%) under the programme, followed by France (78), Italy (75) and Spain (55), Poland (51) and other member states.

The monitoring programme can provide suggestions for the prioritisation of self-monitoring plans, although we recommend that the spectrum of active substances to be tested should by no means be limited to the spectrum of the monitoring plan.

YOUR PLUS: The AGROLAB residue laboratories examine more than 700 active substances and metabolites in the fruit and vegetable sector in the daily routine within the framework of GC/LC multi-methods. Our accredited laboratories are also QS and BNN recognised.

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger