Food News

The draft update of the EU monitoring programme for the years 2025 - 2027 has been adopted by the EU Commission's Standing Committee on Pesticide Residues.

In 2025, the following foods are to be analysed for pesticide residues by the national authorities in the EU: Apples, strawberries, peaches (including nectarines and similar hybrids), leaf lettuce, tomatoes and spinach. Oats and barley are also on the list. In terms of animal products, the focus is on cow's milk and pork fat. White and red wines are also new to the programme.

For fruit and vegetables, 196 active substances are to be included in the screening programme, with nicotine only being tested in apples, lettuce and tomatoes. Dithiocarbamates are included in the test plan for all samples with the exception of head cabbagel and wine.

Bromide residues are only tested in lettuce and tomatoes. Ethylene oxide/2-chloroethanol tests are limited to oats and barley grains in 2025.

The above-mentioned animal matrices are also to be analysed for residues of copper and chlormequat/mepiquat, among others.

Regulation (EU) 2023/731 is to be repealed on 1 January 2025 and replaced by the updated version for the years 2025 to 2027. 

YOUR PLUS: It seems sensible to take the priorities of the EU monitoring programme into account in the self-checks and, if necessary, to adapt the test plans for 2025 in good time. 

Author: Dr Frank Mörsberger