Residues of pesticides

Pesticides are omnipresent in our environment. They are applied to prevent, destroy or control a large variety of pests ranging from insects to weeds. There are more than a thousand different pesticides on the market that have different applications. Most pesticides are applied to plants on the field. However, significant amounts of pesticide residues can also end up in food of animal origin. They can either be mixed directly into the feed or applied directly onto the animals or they may end up in food of animal origin indirectly, through pesticide treatments of crop, used to feed farmed animals, by environmental contamination by persistent organic pollutants or during the handling or packaging of the animal product. To ensure the health and safety of the consumer within the EU a strict registration process has been implemented and guidelines on maximum residue levels within the food product need to be adhered to. Organic food however has strict guidelines on what can be used during the farming process and no synthetic pesticides are allowed to be applied in organic production. The compliance is monitored by National and European monitoring programs and any noncompliance is published on the 'rapid alert system for food and feed'.