Analysis of Pesticide Residues Exceeding EU Maximum Residue Limits in Rice Consignments: A Case Study of RASFF Notifications (2018-2022)

Abstract

Pesticides are used as plant protection agents to protect crops from various pests and diseases; however, residues of Pesticides have become a global concern as pesticide residues are harmful to human health. Most of the countries have established maximum residue limits(MRLs) against each pesticide to ensure entry of safe food in their country. The purpose of this study is to identify the most repeated pesticide residues in Rice, exported from India to EU, in five years (2018-2022) which have been reported in EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed(RASFF). The MRLs of these vital few (the most repeated) pesticide residues have been compared with International Standard Setting Body i.e. Codex and National Standard Setting Body i.e. Food Safety and Standard Authority of India( FSSAI), as the variation in the MRLs is a major challenge in the Global Supply Chain of Agri Commodities including Staple food i.e. Rice. In addition, focus is also needed to control vital few pesticides against which RASFFs have been generated so that the supply chain is not affected.