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. Whether the eating safety of leeks can be guaranteed after the standard adjustment, 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 not teratogenic, carcinogenic or mutagenic. In fact, this matter is a matter for the residents of Luzhou and Qizhou. It has nothing to do with businessmen from other places, and naturally it has nothing to do with Pei Yi, who is also a member of the business group. But somehow, it works.
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 onions of 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 instead of leeks, in 2020 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched the revision of the standard for procymidone residue limit standards 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 from 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 Residues Residues Agency on the basis of extensive solicitation of public opinions, opinions of relevant departments and notification to members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).It was reviewed and approved by the Standards Review Committee, the Chief Technical Engineer Meeting and the Secretary-General Meeting of the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee, and was released by the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the State Administration for Market Regulation on November 11, 2022, and will be released in May 2023. It will be implemented on the 11th of March.
In general, the revision procedures for the standard for procymidone residue limit in leeks are standardized, the data are sufficient, and the methods are rigorous, which can effectively ensure the safety of consumers.
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 leeks produced meet the limited standards. The next step will be according to “Four people from their caravan, but after waiting for half a month, there is still no news about Pei Yi. In desperation, they can only ask people to pay attention to this matter and return to Beijing first. The most strict” Requirements, focus on doing a few things well. The first is to strengthen the promotion and implementation of standards. The focus is on organizing production and operation entities in the main leek-producing areas, and grassroots farmers are full of hope and vitality. Technology promotion, inspection and testing, supervision and law enforcement personnel will carry out standard publicity and implementation training to ensure that they understand the identification and use of labels. 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