Minimising pesticide residues

Pesticide residues are very small amounts of pesticides that can remain in or on a crop after harvesting or storage. Levels are typically very low, for example a few milligrams of pesticide in a kilogram of crop. Not all pesticide-treated foods contain residues.

The FSA Board has recognised that consumer preference is for food that does not contain pesticide residues even when risk assessments show that health effects are unlikely.

If you would like to read more about the Agency's approach to pesticides and its pesticide residue minimisation policy, you can access the Board papers and the minutes of the meetings where they were discussed on at the Board meetings link below this text.

The papers are:
The Agency's Approach to Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Residues in Food, FSA 00/07/04, December 2000
Developments in the Agency's work on Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines, FSA 02/06/04, June 2002
Progress on an Action Plan to Minimise Pesticides Residues in Food, FSA03/06/04, June 2003
Progress on an Action Plan to Reduce Pesticide Residues in Food, FSA 04/05/02, May 2004
Pesticide Residue Minimisation, INT 07/03/03, Intersessional paper, March 2007

Levels of pesticides currently found in food in the UK are not a safety concern (see Surveillance of residues). If they were, the Agency would take immediate action. Nevertheless, the Agency acknowledges the concern expressed by consumers about residues in food, and the residue minimisation policy is based on both quantitative and qualitative consumer research (see Pesticides consumer research).

An outline action plan to support the FSA’s residue minimisation policy was agreed by the Board in 2003. The Board then agreed a more detailed plan in May 2004 that was developed in consultation with interested parties and included development of crop guides, developing an understanding of consumers’ information needs and working with external organisations.

The Agency published its pesticide residue minimisation crop guides in November 2006. These were drafted by ADAS (an agricultural advisory service), in liaison with agriculture and horticulture experts and non-governmental organisations, and cover five crops grown in the UK (apples, pears, cereals, potatoes and tomatoes). 'Crop guides on pesticide residue minimisation' can be found below this page.

The guides aim to :

• offer a consolidated source of information on best agricultural practice in the use of pesticides on each of the crops in question
• raise awareness throughout the food chain of the issue of pesticide residues
• support all sectors of the industry to deliver existing pesticide residue minimisation initiatives

Each individual crop guide details how the crop is grown, the reasons why pesticides are used on it and the residues found in or on the crop. A range of approaches to reduce pesticide residues is included, with references to where research is ongoing or required in future.

Public consultation on the draft guides in 2006 indicated there was widespread support for the initiative and recognition that it was driven by consumers' preference for food with minimal residues. Improvements were made to the guides as a result of comments received.

We are now discussing with interested organisations, including assurance schemes, how the guides can be used as source material to extract appropriate information for specific sectors, such as producers.