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
Proposals for 2011 UK Monitoring Plan For Pesticide Residues in Food and Drink
27 May 2010: Each year as a follow up to the official processes which regulate pesticides, the government monitors food to check that the residue levels found are within those expected from normal use of the pesticide and checks that legal trading levels (Maximum Residue Levels) are not breached for both imported and home-produced food. Please comment on our proposals for 2011 monitoring by 16 June.
PRC Monitoring Programme 2010: Survey Details
23 March 2010: Details of the PRC's 2010 surveys, including sampling, publication dates and the pesticides we will test for.
Results and Reports
- Rolling Results 2010
2 September 2010: Latest rolling results published for beans with pods, chillies, grapes, mangoes, peaches & nectarines & pears. - Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) Reports 2009
24 June 2010: Publication of our report for Quarter 4 (October to December) 2009 - School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
24 June 2010: Autumn Term 2009 pesticide residues monitoring results for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) - PRC 2009 Pears Survey: November Results
19 January 2010: The full PRC monthly reporting results for pear samples taken in November 2009 have now been published. This includes the previously withheld brand name details for pear sample 2500/2009. - PRC 2009 Grapes Survey: November Results
05 January 2010: The PRC monthly reporting results for grape samples taken in November 2009 have now been published. - PRC 2009 Grapes Survey: October Results
1 December 2009: The PRC monthly reporting results for grape samples taken in late September & October 2009 have now been published. - PRC 2009 Pears Survey: October Results
1 December 2009: The PRC monthly reporting results for pear samples taken in late September & October 2009 have now been published - PRC 2009 Grapes Survey: September Results
3 November 2009: The PRC monthly reporting results for grape samples taken in September 2009 have now been published. - PRC 2009 Pears Survey: September Results
3 November 2009: The PRC monthly reporting results for pear samples taken in September 2009 have now been published. - Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) Reports 2008
24 September 2009: Publication of our Annual Report for 2008
Other News
- Rolling Results: Introduction
29 July 2010: Background Information on rolling reporting of results. - PRC/VRC 2010 Industry Data Request
25 March 2010: The annual joint request to industry for residues monitoring data from the Pesticides Residues Committee and Veterinary Residues Commitee. - Open Event 2010
4 March 2010: The 2010 Pesticide Residues Committee open event will be in Cardiff on Wednesday 19 May 2010. - 2010 UK Monitoring Plan for Pesticide Residues
02 June 2009: Each year as a follow up to the official processes which regulate pesticides, the government monitors food to check that the residue levels found are within those expected from normal use of the pesticide and checks that legal trading levels (Maximum Residue Levels) are not breached for both imported and home-produced food. Please comment on our proposals for 2010 monitoring by 19 June - PRC/VRC 2009 Industry Data Request
7 April 2009: The annual joint request to industry for residues monitoring data from the Pesticides Residues Committee and Veterinary Residues Commitee. - 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.