Pesticide residues

Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (Host Government - The Netherlands)

The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) provides recommendations to the Codex Alimentarius Commission about maximum limits for pesticide residues for specific food items or groups of food.

A Codex Maximum Limit for Pesticide Residues (MRL) is the maximum concentration of pesticide residue (expressed as mg/kg), recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be legally permitted in or on food commodities and animal feeds. Foods derived from commodities that comply with MRLs are intended to be toxicologically acceptable and safe for human consumption.

Codex MRLs apply in international trade and are derived from evaluations conducted by the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR).

Existing Codex Standards

A number of standards relating to pesticide residues* have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code they include standards on:

Analysis of Pesticide Residues: Guidelines on Good Laboratory Practice in Pesticide Residue Analysis
Analysis of Pesticide Residues: Portion of Commodities to which Codex MRLS apply and which is analysed
Analysis of Pesticide Residues: Recommended Methods
Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits (EMRLs)
Methods of Sampling for Pesticide Residues for the Determination of Compliance with MRLs

* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards

Last Meeting

The 44^th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues was held in Beijing, China from 23 — 28 April 2012.

At this meeting the Committee agreed to recommend to the 35^th Session of the Commission the following:

Draft and proposed draft MRLs for pesticide at Steps 8 and 5/8 with omission of Steps 6/7 (paras. 28-85 and Appendices II and III);
Draft Revision to the Codex Classification of Food and Animal Feed (fruit commodity groups) at Step 8 (para. 107 and Appendix VIII) ;
Draft Principles and Guidance for the Selection of Representative Commodities for the Extrapolation of Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides to Commodity Groups (including Table 1: Examples of the selection of representative commodities – fruit commodity groups) at Step 8 (para. 127 and Appendix XI);
Proposed Draft MRLs for pesticides at Step 5 (paras. 28 - 85 and Appendix IV); and
Proposed Draft Revision to the Codex Classification of Food and Animal Feed at Step 5 – selected vegetable commodity groups (para. 117 and Appendix IX).

New Work

Priority List for the Establishment of MRLs for Pesticides (para. 169 and Appendix XIII).

Revocation of MRLs

Revocation of Codex MRLs for pesticides (paras 29 - 85 and Appendix V);
Revocation of CODEX STAN 229-1993 - Analysis of Pesticide Residues: Recommended Methods (para. 183); and
Revocation of fruit commodity groups in the Codex Classification of Food and Animal Feed (CAC/MISC 4-1993) (to be replaced by corresponding provisions of the revised fruit commodity groups in Appendix VIII of REP12/PR as part of the ongoing revision of the Classification) (para. 107).

Download the report from this meeting

Next Meeting

The 45^th Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues will be held will be held in China, from 6 — 13 May 2013.

Download the agenda for this meeting