Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the amount of pesticides in bread.

The regulatory framework for pesticides is supported by a substantial programme of testing for residues in food and drink. This is administered by the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate and overseen by the independent expert scientific committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF). Bread is among the staple foods regularly checked.

Statutory Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for pesticides are set under European Union (EU) legislation. These MRLs reflect the highest amount of pesticide residue expected in food when pesticides are applied in accordance with authorised conditions of use. MRLs are always set below, usually far below, the safety limit.

Farmers, importers, distributors and retailers are responsible for ensuring marketed food complies with the statutory levels.

Although recent monitoring results indicate an increase in the incidence of pesticide residues being found in bread, this reflects that improvements in analytical methods mean that residues can be found at lower levels. The latest results obtained are all at levels below the statutory MRLs, and PriF have concluded that they do not raise any safety concerns.

The Food Standards Agency recognises that consumers want pesticide residues reduced further than the current safe levels. As part of the Agency's action plan to minimise pesticide residues in food, guides have been produced for five crops – including cereals - grown in the UK. The guides are intended for a broad audience within the food industry, from farmer to retailer. They aim to raise awareness of the issue of pesticide residues and to support the industry to deliver existing pesticide residue minimisation initiatives.