notice by QS and DFHV, to propose maximum
levels with regard to consumer protection. In
the future, more use could be made of the
“Plant Protection Product Residues in Food”
task force of the German Federal Office of
Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Bundes-
amt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittel-
sicherheit, BVL) in order to enable an even
faster and more efficient reaction to new issues
and active substance findings. Economic ope-
rators and the authorities work together in
this task force.
In the past few years, co-
operation between the
economy and the autho-
rities in the field of food
safety has improved im-
mensely thanks to the
setup of the “Plant Pro-
tection Product Residues
in Food” task force at
the BVL. This task force
makes it possible to de-
tect new risks promptly and discuss possible
solutions with known contact partners. These
mechanisms were developed in 2012 during
handling of the quaternary ammonium com-
pounds (QAC) issue and are now proving useful
in dealing with perchlorate.
However, it should be recognised that the use
of chemicals which belong to different areas of
law – for example, biocide products and plant
protection products in the case of QAC – poses
challenges which are not yet met satisfactorily
due to differing areas of responsibility with
respect to approvals and also, to an extent,
with respect to evaluation. This is something
that we need to work on together in the future.
conclusions to be drawn
on either the possible
entry paths or the gene-
ral prevalence in food.
During further clarifica-
tion, QS and DFHV provi-
ded valuable support by
collecting a large amount
of additional data within
a short time and making
it available to the autho-
rities for evaluation in a
non-bureaucratic manner. In addition to conti-
nued good cooperation, our hope for the future
is that QS will act even more proactively than
before and will, for example, detect and report
new residue problems in food even before
public authorities do so.
Self-assessment systems
in companies on the one
hand and monitoring by
authorities on the other
are two sides of the
same coin. Their aim is
to guarantee the safety
of processes and pro-
ducts in the interests
of preventative consumer
protection. Controls by
the economy itself and by public authorities
can complement one another, and this should
happen in particular when it comes to disco-
vering and evaluating new active substances.
The examples of QAC and perchlorate showed
that the chosen path of cooperation between
economy and the authorities is going in the
right direction. It allowed the BfR, on the basis
of up-to-date analysis data supplied at short
In the case of QAC and
perchlorate, unlike in the
case of EHEC, cooperation
and the exchange of in-
formation between state
bodies, economic asso-
ciation and scientific insti-
tutions is working. Poten-
tial problems have been
solved without unsettling
consumers. However, at
this time, the permanent members of the
task force established by the German Federal
Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer
Protection are exclusively representatives of
state bodies. From the point of view of the
DFHV, to ensure efficient and responsible cri-
sis management, it is absolutely essential that
economic associations are also represented. It
doesn’t make sense to communicate with one
another only after a crisis has occurred.
In the last two years, food monitoring has
been increasingly focused on substances such
as quaternary ammonium salts (QAC), per-
chlorate and chlorate. At first, only individual
findings came to light which did not allow
by 0.2 % as compared to the previous year. The
detailed analysis results for pears, mangos,
courgettes and onions also confirm that
the residue situation in fruit and vege-
tables is under control for the most part.
New active substances pose challenge to
consumer protection
Residue problems in the case of active substan-
ces for which no maximum level has yet been
defined are difficult to predict. In the recent
past, the events in connection with possible
contamination of food with quaternary ammo-
nium compounds (QAC) and perchlorate posed
challenges both to the economy and to autho-
rities. More such challenges can be expected
to affect the industry in the future. We asked
economic operators and representatives of state
institutions what has been achieved in the
cooperation between authorities and the eco-
nomy in the past number of years and where
they see potential for improvement.
monitoringreport
Cooperation for Safe Food
monitoringreport
Substances that protect plants should not pose
any risk to consumers. To make sure that this
is the case, comprehensive legal regulations
and mandatory maximum residue levels apply
in Europe. Adherence is monitored by official
controls on foodstuffs, as well as by private
sector's residue monitoring programmes and
companies’ own quality management systems.
The continuous further development of methods
and the seamless interaction of the controls have
contributed to the fact that residues in fruit and
vegetables have been drastically reduced in the
past number of years. This is confirmed by the
results of the monitoringreport 2014.
monitoringreport 2014: Evaluation of 16,446
samples from 65 Countries
Between 1 November 2012 and 31 October 2013,
the German Fruit Trade Association (Deutscher
Fruchthandelsverband e.V., DFHV) and QS Qualität
und Sicherheit GmbH evaluated a total of
16,446 samples. In 40 % of the samples, no
■
■
Exchange for Safe Food
■
■
Pears to Onions
■
Residual Contaminants from the Soil
■
Further Training for Quality Managers
is Worthwhile
■
Fresh Seminars
contents
Number of samples per country
EUROPE
13,886
Austria
219
Belarus
3
Belgium
1,103
Bosnia-Herzegovina
1
Cyprus
8
France
173
Germany
8,270
Great Britain
2
Greece
110
Hungary
19
Italy
1,038
Macedonia
1
Netherlands
1,082
Poland
37
Portugal
37
Slovakia
2
Spain
1,778
Sweden
1
Switzerland
2
AFRICA
677
Burkina Faso
3
Central African Republic
1
Egypt
232
Equatorial Guinea
1
Ethiopia
1
Ghana
3
Guinea
2
Ivory Coast
9
Kenya
9
Madagascar
4
Mali
2
Morocco
94
Namibia
5
Senegal
12
South Africa
289
Tanzania
1
Tunisia
3
Zimbabwe
6
ASIA/PACIFIC
538
Australia
5
China
26
India
173
Indonesia
1
Iran
2
Israel
87
Malaysia
6
New Zealand
91
Russia
8
Saudi Arabia
1
Thailand
12
Turkey
124
Vietnam
2
NORTH/SOUTH AMERICA 1,345
Argentina
74
Barbados
1
Brazil
130
Chile
351
Columbia
90
Costa Rica
104
Dominican Republic
6
Ecuador
353
Honduras
2
Mexico
14
Panama
7
Peru
184
Puerto Rico
2
Uruguay
21
USA
6
Total
16,446
residues of plant protection products whatsoever
were detected. The maximum residue level was
exceeded in just 1.1 % of the samples. These
figures mean that the rejection rate has decreased
Dr. Britta Michalski
German Federal Institute for Risk
Assessment
Head of the Residue Assessment
of Pesticides and Biocides Unit
Dieter Krauß
President of the German Fruit
Trade Association e.V. (DFHV)
Issue 2014
A Publication of QS Fachgesellschaft Obst-Gemüse-Kartoffeln GmbH and DFHV Deutscher Fruchthandelsverband e.V.
Ulrich Schopohl
REWE Group, Head of the Strategic
Quality Assurance Department
Dr. Karsten Hohgardt
German Federal Office of Consumer
Protection and Food Safety
