Food Law News - UK - 2018

DEFRA Publication, 19 July 2018

CONTAMINANTS - Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF): Annual Report for 2017

This annual report summarise the work of the Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) in 2017.

The Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) provides independent advice to the government on the monitoring of pesticide residues in food.

More information about the work of the Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) is available – see PRiF.

The following is extracted from the report:

Executive summary

• 3357 samples of 38 different types of food were collected in 2017.
• 47% of these samples contained a residue.
• We tested for up to 376 pesticides in fruit and vegetables, 100 in animal products, 375 in starchy foods and grains, 365 in infant food and 371 in other groceries.
• All of the samples in which a residue was detected were checked by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for risk to the consumers by means of a risk assessment screening mechanism. We published results of 28 detailed risk assessments where we wanted to consider in more detail whether there was a concern for human health.
• We referred eight samples to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as we had concerns about the potential risk to human health of people eating these foods. Where appropriate the FSA notified the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) about these samples.
• We referred 17 samples of UK produce to HSE Enforcement as they contained residues of pesticides not approved for use in the UK on those crops. Where HSE could not identify an obvious reason for the residues they then investigated how these residues could have arisen.

Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF): Annual Report for 2017