Search Results (3)

Guaranteeing food safety in the European Union (EU) is a continuing issue affected by diverse national traditions, regulatory power, and consumer culture. Despite the presence of a harmonized regulatory context, there continues to be variability in performance among the 27 member states. This study gives an extensive comparative evaluation of EU food safety based on three indicators: Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) alerts, pesticide maximum-residue-limit (MRL) violation, and per capita food loss. Fuzzy TOPSIS, K-means clustering, and scenario-based sensitivity tests are used to give an extensive appraisal of the performance of member states. Alarming differences are quoted as findings of significance. The highest number of RASFF notifications (212) and percentage of pesticide MRL non-compliance (1.5%) were reported in 2022 by Bulgaria, whereas the lowest values were reported by Estonia and Lithuania—15–20 RASFF notifications and less than 0.6% MRL violation rates. A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.72, p < 0.001) between pesticide MRL violation and food safety warnings was confirmed in favor of pesticide regulation as the optimal predictor of food safety warnings. On the other hand, food loss did not significantly affect safety measures but indicated very high variation (from 76 kg/capita per year in Croatia to 142 kg/capita per year in Greece). These findings suggest that while food loss remains an environmental problem, pesticide control is more central to the protection of food safety. Targeted policy is what the research necessitates: intervention and stricter enforcement in low-income countries, and diffusion of best practice from successful states. The composite approach adds to EU food safety policy discourse through the combination of performance indicators and targeted regulatory emphasis. Full article

Background and objectives: Apples are an important part of a healthy diet and one of the most widely consumed fruits globally. The use of pesticides in apple production has also increased, which can lead to pesticide residues in fruit. Pesticide residues in food have been a significant public health concern due to their potential adverse effects on human health, including their carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and endocrine-disrupting properties. To ensure food safety, and reduce unnecessary consumer exposure, regulatory agencies worldwide have set maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in fruits and vegetables. This study aims to analyze the levels of pesticide residues in apples and evaluate their compliance with regulatory MRLs. Methods: The analysis of the data regarding pesticide presence and compliance with defined MRLs from the results of testing apple samples (by GC MS/MS and LC MS/MS techniques) at the Institute of Public Health of Belgrade, including pesticide residue monitoring apples on the Serbian market in 2022, was performed. Results: Out of 34 apple samples tested, 21 samples (61.8%) were found to have pesticide residue levels below the MRL, 8 samples (23.5%) had no pesticides detected, while 5 samples (14.7%) exceeded the MRL. The number of detected pesticide residues in the apple samples varied widely, ranging from 0 to 11, with an average of 3.38 residues per sample. The most frequently detected pesticides were acetamiprid, captan, cypermethrin, fludioxonil, carbendazim, and chlorantranilprole. The five samples that exceeded the MRLs were found to contain the following pesticides and levels: three samples contained chlorpyrifos at 0.07, 0.011, and 0.015 mg/kg, respectively, exceeding an MRL of 0.01 mg/kg; one sample contained imidacloprid at 0.015 mg/kg, which exceeded the MRL of 0.01 mg/kg; and one sample contained flormetanate at 0.058 mg/kg, exceeding the MRL of 0.01 mg/kg. Discussion: Overall, the study’s findings suggest that most of the samples analyzed are within the MRLs for pesticide residues, indicating that the apples are safe for consumption. However, the detection of pesticide residues above the MRLs underscores the need for the continued monitoring and enforcement of pesticide regulations to ensure food safety and minimize the potential health risks associated with pesticide exposure. Full article

Pesticide residue monitoring data reflect the actual residues in foods as traded and are suitable for estimating consumers’ exposure, evaluating compliance with maximum residue limits, MRLs, and refining future risk-based sampling programmes. The long-term exposure (daily intake) is calculated from the national or regional food consumption data and average residues in the edible portions of food. The non-detected residues may be counted as LOQ, 0.5 LOQ, or 0. The short-term intake is calculated from the large portion consumption of individual foods multiplied by the highest residue concentration found in them and the relevant variability factor. Dietary exposure to a pesticide residue may be characterised by the hazard quotient (HQ) and the hazard index (HI). Cumulative exposure should only be assessed for those compounds having the common mechanism of toxicity (cumulative assessment group, CAG). The number of residue data required for these assessments should be calculated with distribution-free statistics at the targeted confidence level. The proper evaluation of the numerous results can only be completed if they are electronically recorded and can be retrieved in specific formats. Our objectives are to present methods for consumer risk assessment, testing compliance with MRLs, and ranking commodities for risk-based sampling and to give examples of electronic processing of residue data. Full article