By Dr. Bill Reeves, EAS Consulting Group Regulatory Consultant
Consistent, scientifically justified regulations enable over $1.5 trillion in global agricultural exports every year. The world economy depends on these regulations to ensure whatever goes onto a ship is legal to sell when it reaches port. One key requirement for agricultural commodities that have received pesticide applications is that any remaining residues are within legal limits for their destination country or region.
Pesticide tolerances (known as maximum residue levels or import tolerances in some world areas) are the maximum amount of a pesticide ingredient or metabolite that can remain on the crop at harvest when the pesticide is applied according to label instructions. A tolerance is specific to the combination of a pesticide and a crop or crop group. If pesticides are present at levels greater than their tolerance or do not have a tolerance, the crop is adulterated and cannot be sold.
As a member of the Certified Group and Food Safety Net Services, EAS clients have access to world-renowned testing laboratories that meet your organization’s sophisticated needs. In this column, you’ll hear about their capabilities, environmental challenges and more. We hope you’ll enjoy a look “under the microscope.”
Reviewed and Approved by Steven Rogers, Chemistry Manager, Certified Laboratories
1-Minute Summary
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) define allowable pesticide concentrations in food, aligned with national and international safety standards.
In the U.S., FDA and USDA enforce pesticide regulations in coordination with the EPA; non-compliance risks legal action and market exclusion.
The USDA provides a Pesticide MRL Database to check specific pesticide limits by commodity, available online with both free and premium options.
Pesticide residue testing labs use a combination of advanced techniques for comprehensive pesticide residue analysis, including GC-FPD, LC-MS/MS, and GC-MS/MS.
When choosing a testing lab, it’s vital to consider ISO 17025 accreditation, expertise, technology, and customer service.
EAS independent consultant John Bailey will speak at the Naturally Kiawah Symposium happening October 8-11, 2024, in Kiawah Island, SC, on regulation updates, MoCRA, product testing, PFAS, and more. Visit https://www.scconline.org/CarolinaSCC/Naturally-Kiawah for more information.
EAS Senior Director Lisa El-Shall will speak on “OTCs: Cosmetic Audits” at the 2024 ASQ Audit Division Conference happening October 9-10, 2024, in Reno, NV, presented by the American Society of Quality. Visit ASQ.org to learn more: https://asq.org/conferences/audit-division
Sign up today for our complimentary webinar on Good ANDA Submission Practices on October 16, 2024, from 1-2pm ET. Learn best practices for Abbreviated New Drug Application submissions with EAS consultant and former FDA drug reviewer Radhika Rajagopalan, Ph.D., where she’ll discuss the recent guidance documents, distill what FDA is really looking for, and how to best apply their principles to your submissions.
Sign up today for our complimentary webinar on Risk-Based Approach to CSV, 21 CFR Part 11 and FDA Compliance on November 8, 2024, from 1-4pm ET presented by EAS consultant Carolyn Troiano. This webinar will help you understand in detail Computer System Validation (CSV) and how to apply the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Methodology when validating computer systems subject to FDA regulations.
Join EAS Consulting Group for our semi-annual Food and Dietary Supplement Labeling Compliance Seminar happening December 9, 11, 13, 2024, from 11am – 5pm ET each day. Our experts will walk you through the requirements of a label, what information is required and in what order, how to determine amounts, and how to list ingredients. You’ll also learn the complex set of labeling rules and get answers to your most challenging questions.
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Dr. Bill Reeves is a toxicologist with experience in human health and environmental risk assessment. After earning his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, Bill worked for California EPA establishing new water quality standards and conducting technical reviews of wastewater discharge permits. He later joined Tetra Tech, Inc., working on projects related to risk assessment and drinking water quality for the US Air Force. Most recently, Bill was with Monsanto/Bayer Crop Science’s Regulatory Sciences organization. As part of the Regulatory Affairs team, he obtained approvals for GM crops such as drought tolerant corn. For the last several years, Bill was part of the company’s Issues Management team with a focus on pesticides and human safety, including Proposition 65 and product liability litigation.
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