Human food and drinking water are important goods. Limit exceedance of pesticides, herbicides und fungicides – now well over 1,000 of these substances and degradation products are known – are the focus of a sensitized public. Magazines such as Ökotest often checks food and other products for pesticide residues, on the Internet thousands of pages dealing with the subject.
In principle, maximum levels of these substances in drinking water, food and the environment are strictly regulated and determined. Food and feed manufacturers and the trade have to ensure that limits are met. The basis is formed by various national and European regulations such as the
- Maximum Residue Level Regulation – (RHmV) and the
- Drinking Water Regulation – 2001 Drinking Water
These national regulations are a result of regulations of the European Community like:
(EEC) No 315/93, 90/642/EEC, 97/41/EC and other European regulations, such as animal feed regulations.
In addition there are various rules and regulations in the field of environment.
In particular, plant-based products should be routinely tested for residues of pesticides. The Dr. Graner & Partner GmbH is excellently equipped for the analysis of these contaminants with an advanced LC-MS/MS, several conventional HPLC systems as well as several GC-MS systems. The mass spectrometric detection allows conclusive statements about the kind and the concentration of the pesticides and therefore a safe classification of the results. Our recommendation: Analyze your products regularly. So you can look reassured forward to the next releases of Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest!