Pesticidrester i fødevarer 2002

7 English Summary
Food manufactures and food operators have
the primary responsibility for food safety in
Denmark.
The primary objective of the Danish pesticide
residue monitoring is to assess that the foods
do not contain unacceptable residues. This is
achieved by controlling compliance with the
legal maximum residue levels and by estimating
the intake of pesticides in the Danish population.
As a result of the agricultural use of pesticides,
residues of pesticides and their metabolites will
occur in our food and in the environment.
The main conclusion from the programme of
the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
has been that the consumption of food
from the Danish market does not cause adverse
effects from pesticide residues.
The Institute of Food Research and Nutrition
of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
designs the sampling plans for the residue
monitoring. The laboratory at the Regional
Veterinary and Food Control Authority of Copenhagen
and the Institute of Food Research
and Nutrition implement the plans.
In 2002 a total of 2437 samples were analysed,
944Danishsamplesand1493samplesofforeign
origin. The samples included 1008 samples
of fruit, 837 vegetables, 132 cereals and
275 samples of meat. In addition, 60 samples
of baby food and 110 samples of other processed
foods were analysed. Frozen food comprised
3% of the fruit and vegetable samples
and 4% were organically produced. About
12% of the cereal samples were organically
produced.
All samples of fruit and vegetables were analysed
for at least 156 pesticides, isomers or
metabolites. In addition, part of the samples
was analysed for dithiocarbamates and imazalil.
All samples of pears were analysed for
chlormequat and all samples of strawberries
were analysed for pyrimethanil as well. All
cereal samples were analysed for 100 pesticides,
isomers or metabolites. Samples of meat
were analysed for 16 pesticides.
The investigations of the Veterinary and Food
Administration show that residues are found
frequently in our food. On average pesticides
were found in less than half of all samples
(49%) of fruit and vegetables. Most residues
were in compliance with the legislation, but
2% of the samples violated the maximum residue
limits. The greater part of the samples was
fruit and vegetables, but the distribution is very
uneven through different kinds of commodities.
Residues were found in two out of five samples
of Danish grown fruit (40%), but in three
out of four samples of foreign origin (72%).
For vegetables, residues were found in one out
of fifteen Danish (7%) and two out of five
foreign samples (41%). The frequencies of
findings in all these groups were at the same
level as last year, except for Danish produced
fruit where the frequency of samples with residues
had increased.
Multiple residues were found in one out of four
samples (26%) of fruit and vegetables, which
is at a somewhat higher level than previous
years.
When evaluating these summarised frequencies
it must be acknowledged that the distribution
of fruit and vegetables in the sampling
plan is biased toward those types of samples,
in which frequent residues are expected and
that the analytical programme does not include
all pesticides used.
A total of 36 samples of organically grown
fruit and vegetables were analysed. Residues
were found in one sample of Italian organically
grown apple.
Residues were found in two out of five samples
conventionally grown cereals, primarily
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