Monitoring pesticide residues in food and the environment is a basic and very useful tool to solve pesticide problems. But this can only be carried out if the monitoring data is made publicly available without any restrictions and if the data are sufficiently detailed.
Resources
Check list for "residue monitoring"From the PAN point of view, any national programme for monitoring pesticide residues in food and water should provide the following information publicly and in a timely way:
- the type of crops analysed
- the number of samples taken (total and per crop)
- the number of active ingredients analysed
- the number of active ingredients detected
- which active ingredient have been found in which crop
- for each sample a) the date, b) the place (name of company or market; in case of imports, the country of origin), c) where the specific sample has been taken d) the commodity
- the % of samples: a) without residues, b) with residues, c) with residues below maximum level, d) with residues above maximum level, e) with 1 residue,f) with multiple residues (2 and more), g) with residues exceeding the acute reference dose (ARfD) for children.
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Suggestion for Action
Find out if there is a national programme to monitor pesticide residues in food and the environment in your country.If there is not, ask your government to implement a program (see check list on the left).
If there is, make sure that the monitoring system in your country provides detailed information (see check list on the left).
Suggestion for Action
Ask your supermarket or store what they do about residues in food.Message
... from a food chain
In early 2006 the large supermarket chain Lidl started to improve their quality control in Germany.
They issued new standards for their producers (max. 1/3 of the Maximum Residue Level accepted in fresh food)
and they started to sell organic and fairly traded food in all shops. Later in the year 2006, they did a preliminary phase-out of conventionally grown table grapes due to high pesticide residues.
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