Inappropriate Anxieties about Crop Protection Residues in Food

Crop Protection Products (CPPs) are a useful weapon in our fight against the pests, diseases and weeds that harm or destroy our food. To be effective CPPs need to exhibit some persistence. The consequence of this is that residues of the original material or its metabolites may remain on food and thus there is a potential for the intake of such residues. The issue of CPP residues in food is an emotional subject and is rarely debated rationally or supported by scientific facts. Media headlines like “Poison in our food” or “These days enough Pesticides (CPPs) are sprayed onto vegetables to turn you into one” are testimony to the high level of emotion that surrounds the subject of CPP residues in food. Recent surveys of consumers have indicated that more than 80 percent view CPP residues in food as a “serious hazard”. This significantly exceeds concerns over drugs, hormones in meat, nitrates in food, irradiated foods, food additives, or artificial colours.