To strengthen capacity of risk assessment of pesticide residue for establishing maximum residue limits (MRLs) in countries in Asia, FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific are jointly organizing a workshop on “Pesticide residue risk assessment and the elaboration of Codex Maximum Residue Limits”.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines maximum residue limits as the maximum concentrations of pesticide residues (expressed as milligram/kilogram), to be legally permitted in or on food commodities and animal feeds, based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) data. The MRLs have to be assessed for the dietary risk to consumers. Asian countries are top ranking exporters of many food and agricultural products in the world with a large amount of surplus food and agricultural products from domestic consumption exported to worldwide countries. To ensure that agricultural commodities are safe for consumption, it is essential for countries to regulate pesticide residues in domestically produced and imported foods.

This workshop will contribute to the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems through better production, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG3 and SDG12 by:

• strengthening the capabilities of participating countries in evaluation of residue data;
• update knowledge of the assessment of risks associated with dietary intake of pesticide residues; and
• develop the capacity of participating countries in establishment of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in food and feed.

Concept Note and tentative agenda

Related links:

• Plant Production and Protection
• Codex Alimentarius Commission