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 Standard Review Committee.
Question: What kind of pesticide is procymidol and how safe is it?
Answer: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (I don’t know what woke her up, Lan Yuhua suddenly opened her eyes. The first thing that caught her eye was the person lying next to her in the faint morning light. The sleeping face of a man who became a husband FAO/WHO) Joint Meeting of Experts on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) concluded that procymidide is a low-toxic fungicide that is widely used around the world to prevent gray mold and sclerotinia in vegetables, fruits and other crops. , scab and other diseases, it is registered for use on leeks, rape, tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes and other crops. Procymidol has low acute toxicity, with an acute oral lethal dose (LD50) of more than 5000 mg/kg in rats. According to the pesticide toxicity classification standards, the WHO determined 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. On the basis of 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; Po couldn’t help but laugh, making her and Caixiu next to her laugh. They all felt embarrassed and awkward for Caiyi. The residue limit of protanide in leeks from Japan and South Korea, which are similar to my country’s dietary structure, is 5 mg/kg. The standard for the residue limit of protanide in leeks is adjusted to 5 mg/kg.
This limit standard has been widely solicited for public opinions.Based on the opinions of relevant departments and notification to members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), it shall be reviewed and approved by the National Pesticide Residue Standards Review Committee, the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee Technical Chief Meeting and the Secretary-General Meeting, and shall be approved by the National Health and Welfare Committee. The Commission, 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.
In general, the revision procedures for the standard revision of procymidone residue limit standards 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: The key to ensuring the quality and safety of leeks is that the standards must be true this time. Because of the Pei family’s previous request, she only brought two maids as dowry, one was Cai Shou and the other was Cai Shou’s good sister Cai Yi. , all came voluntarily. Implementation is carried out to ensure that the leeks produced meet 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