Home Page of the Pesticide Residues Committee ( PRC) Website
A message from from the Chair of the PRC, Dr Ian Brown
.JPG)
Welcome to the Pesticide Residues Committee Website. Hopefully the fact that you are reading this page today indicates that you are interested in finding out more about pesticide residues in food and the UK's national programme of pesticide residues testing.
The results from our most recent surveys of residues in food and drink provide evidence as to the absence of residues in about 70% of tested produce. In almost 30% of samples, residues were below the statutory limits (Maximum Residue Level) which poses no safety concerns for consumers. The Department of Health recommends an intake of at least five portions of fruit or vegetables per person per day to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and many other chronic conditions. The positive effects of eating fresh fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced, healthy diet are well proven and far outweigh any concern about pesticide residues.
I hope that you find the information on this website is useful and informative. If you have any points to make or questions to ask please email the PRC or click here for more information on how to contact us.
Best Regards
Doctor IAN BROWN OBE BSc (Agric) FRCP FFOM
Focus
Pesticides Residues Committee (PRC) Reports 2007
25 September 2008: Pesticide Residues Committee Annual Report for 2007 published.
Results and Reports
- Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) Reports 2008
9 December 2008: Publication of our report for Quarter 2 (April to June) 2008 - 2008 Grapes Survey: October Results
4 December 2008. The Pesticide Residues Committee's 2008 Grapes survey for October 2008 has now been published. - 2008 Grapes Survey: September Results
27 November 2008. The Pesticide Residues Committee's 2008 Grapes survey for September 2008 has now been published. - 2008 Peppers Survey: September Results
28 October 2008. The Pesticide Residues Committee's 2008 Peppers survey for September 2008 has now been published. - 2008 Peppers Survey: August Results
28 October 2008. The Pesticide Residues Committee's 2008 Peppers survey for August 2008 has now been published. - 2008 Grapes Survey: Aug Results
2 October 2008. The Pesticide Residues Committee's 2008 Grapes survey for August 2008 has now been published. - Pesticides Residues Committee (PRC) Reports 2007
25 September 2008: Pesticide Residues Committee Annual Report for 2007 published. - School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
25 September 2008: Publication of the results of the pesticide residues monitoring for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) Spring Term 2008. The SFVS supplies four to six year old children in Local Education Authority maintained infant, primary and special schools in England with a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day. Each term samples are collected and analysed for pesticide residues. - 2008 Peppers Survey: July Results
16 September 2008: None of the pepper samples collected in July contained residues above the MRL. - 2008 Grapes Survey: July Results
16 September 2008: None of the grape samples collected in July contained residues above the MRL.
Other News
- The Application of Measurement Uncertainty to Pesticide Residues Monitoring Results
25 September 2008: For the survey results published from 2008 onwards we will be making some changes to the way we present our results. Only values that are above the Maximum Residue Level (MRL) once a 50% “uncertainty factor” is applied will be highlighted in bold as MRL exceedances. - PRC Open Business Meeting 22 October 2008
Details of the PRC's annual open business meeting, inlcuding information on how to book a place. - New EU MRLs Regime and PRC Reports
14 August 2008: At their July 2008 meeting the PRC decided how to report results once Regulation 396/2005/EC comes into effect on 1 September. - Predicted effect of EC harmonised regime for pesticide residues in food
19 June: Statement by Dr Ian Brown, PRC Chairman. - Proposed Dates for publishing Reports
24 January 2008: Updated with dates during 2008 and 2009 - Proposals for 2009 Monitoring Plan
15 May 2008: Please comment on the proposals for the 2009 monitoring plan for pesticide residues in food and drink by 5 June 2008.
