Recently, some media reported that the limit standard for procymidol residues in leeks in my country was adjusted from 0.2 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg, which attracted the attention of netizens. Eating leeks after standard adjustment “What’s wrong?” Pei’s mother asked. Whether safety can be guaranteed, our reporter recently interviewed the relevant person in charge of the National Pesticide Residue Standards Review Committee.
Question: What kind of pesticide is procymidol and how safe is it?
Answer: According to the conclusion of the Joint Meeting of Experts on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO), procyperide is a low-toxic fungicide that is widely used around the world to control pesticides in vegetables, fruits and other crops. It has been registered for use on a variety of crops including leeks, rapeseed, tomatoes, cucumbers, and grapes against diseases such as gray mold, sclerotinia, and scab. Procymidol has low acute toxicity. The acute oral lethal dose (LD50) in rats is greater than 5000 mg/kg. According to the pesticide toxicity classification standard, the WHO determines that it “does not show acute toxicity”. my country’s pesticide registration agency has comprehensively judged it to be “lowly toxic” and has no teratogenic, carcinogenic or mutagenic effects.
Question: What are the considerations for adjusting the limit standard for procymidone residues in leeks from 0.2 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg? Is it safe to eat leeks?
Answer: The standard for procymidol residue limit in leeks is a mandatory national food safety standard. In 1993, my country approved the registration and use of procylidene in leeks. However, the scientific research basis for risk assessment was weak at that time, and there has been no standard for the residue limit of procylidene in leeks. At the beginning of this century, due to the lack of pesticide residue test data, my country used the relevant standards of the International Codex Alimentarius (CAC) as a reference when formulating pesticide residue limit standards. However, because CAC did not have a limit standard for prolane residues in leeks, the CAC limit standard for prolane residues in leeks, 0.2 mg/kg, was quoted at that time as the limit standard for prolane residues in leeks in my country. It was released in 2005 and has been used to this day. .
In accordance with the requirements of the “most stringent standards” and considering that the original standard quoted the limit of onions rather than leeks, in 2020 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched the revision of the standard for procymidol residue limits in leeks. Based on pesticide residue tests carried out in four main leek-producing areas for two consecutive years, combined with China’s dietary consumption data and procyperide toxicology data, it was concluded through risk assessment that leeks with procyperide residues within 30 mg/kg It is safe to eat. At the same time, considering that the United States and other Western countries do not have the habit of eating leeks, the United States has not set relevant limits; the residue limits of procymidol in leeks in Japan and South Korea, which have similar dietary structures to our country, are both 5 mg/kg. The residue limit standard is adjusted to 5 mg/kg.
This limit standard was approved by the National Pesticide Residue Standards Review Committee, the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee and the Chief Technical Engineer Meeting on the basis of extensive solicitation of public opinions, opinions of relevant departments and notification to members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Reviewed and approved by the Secretary-General’s meeting, the National Health ServiceThe Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the State Administration for Market Regulation released it on November 11, 2022, and will be implemented on May 11, 2023.
Generally speaking, if you study the procedures, specifications and data for the revision of the standard for procymidol residue limits in leeks for a few years, you may be able to grow up in the future. After that, I can take the martial arts exam. It’s a pity that the mother and son only lived in that alley for more than a year before leaving, but he continued to practice boxing all the way, and he never stopped for a day in these years. Adequate and rigorous methods can effectively ensure consumer safety.
Question: The public is very concerned about the safety of eating leeks after the standard adjustment. What are the next steps?
Answer: To ensure the quality and safety of leeks, the key is to implement standards to ensure that the leek produced meets the limited standards. In the next step, we will focus on doing several things in accordance with the “four most stringent” requirements. The first is to strengthen the promotion and implementation of standards. Focus on organizing standard publicity and implementation training for production and operation entities in the main leek-producing areas, grassroots agricultural technology promotion, inspection and supervision, and supervision and law enforcement personnel to ensure that the labels are understood and used. The second is to strengthen medication guidance. When revising the residue limit standards this time, the pesticide label was also revised simultaneously, changing the number of applications of procymidone on leeks from 2 times to 1 per crop, strictly regulating the use of pesticides. The third is to promote production according to standards. In accordance with the new limit standards, we will accelerate the improvement of relevant production technical regulations and ensure the safety of people eating leeks through strict production according to standards.
Author: Ding Lekun, reporter of Farmers Daily·China Rural Network