Managing Pesticides in the food chain
(second edition)

Pesticides are an important part of the food production system - both in improving production efficiency and minimising post-harvest losses, and in ensuring a high quality raw food product. The levels of pesticide residues in food materials is controlled through legislation but, increasingly, farmers, growers and food businesses must also meet changing customer expectations for reducing pesticide use and residues.

This new edition of what was previously Pesticide controls in the food chain has been produced against this background. It will help farmers, growers, food processors, food manufacturers and retailers understand and respond to the legislative and voluntary controls of pesticides in the food chain. It details the components of a pesticide risk management system and explains how to implement these in practice, including record keeping and management.The appendices provide useful data from pesticide monitoring activities by industry and government agencies.

Contents:

• Introduction – risk management
• Pesticide control mechanisms
  - Overall policies
  - Pesticide legislative framework
  - Control and advisory bodies
  - Voluntary controls and control bodies
  - Influence of lobbying organisations, customers and consumers
• What are the hazards and possible causes?
  - Pesticide hazards
  - Causes of pesticide hazards
• Which controls are appropriate?
  - Pesticide management strategies available to farmers and growers
  - Pesticide management strategies available to food companies
• How to provide evidence
  - Systems: records
  - Systems: audits
  - Systems: management reviews
  - Testing the food product
  - Corrective actions
• Establishing a risk management procedure
  - Pesticide control – prerequisite programmes
  - Components of the risk assessment
  - Examples of prerequisite programmes
• References
• Sources of information
• Appendices
  - Summary of industry pesticide monitoring
  - Summary results of national (PRC) pesticide monitoring (2000-05)
  - Summary of MRL exceedances reported in PRC monitoring

Softcover - 80 pages