WRITTEN QUESTION No. 274/98 by Peter LIESE to the Commission. Pesticides in baby and infant foods
Date: 1998-02-05
Institutions: European Parliament, LIESE
Subjects: Germany, baby food, consumer protection, early childhood, pesticide, public health, scientific committee (EU), scientific research, toxic substance













EUR-Lex - 91998E0274 - EN






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91998E0274

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 274/98 by Peter LIESE to the Commission. Pesticides in baby and infant foods  


Official Journal C 223 , 17/07/1998 P. 0152 





WRITTEN QUESTION P-0274/98 by Peter Liese (PPE) to the Commission (5 February 1998)Subject: Pesticides in baby and infant foodsWhat stage has been reached in the proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with setting the limit value for pesticides in baby and infant foods?Are there new scientific findings or opinions on this issue?If so, what limit values are advocated in those scientific studies?Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (6 March 1998)At present the Commission is examining the implications of the recent opinion of the scientific committee for food on the maximum residue limit of lindane in baby food.The scientific committee for food (SCF) was consulted on lindane in 1994 as a consequence of the refusal by the German authorities to permit import from Spain of baby foods which contained residues of lindane up to a level of 0.04 milligramme per kilogramme (legally acceptable in Spain), whereas the German limit was, and still is, O.01 milligramme per kilogramme. The committee concluded on 23 September 1994 that it had no reason to believe that a content of 0.04 milligramme lindane per kilogramme baby food would cause reasons for concern. The opinion was based on the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of lindane of 0-0.008 milligramme per kilogramme of body weight) set by the joint Food and agricultural organisation/World health organisation (FAO/WHO) meeting on pesticide residues (JMPR).On 19 September 1997 the SCF, having been requested by the Commission, expressed the opinion that the ADI may be exceeded by infants and young children for those pesticides having an ADI value of 0-0.0005 milligramme per kilogramme of body weight or lower, if pesticides are present at a maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.01 milligramme per kilogramme.In November 1997 the Commission asked the SCF to confirm whether the opinion on lindane, expressed in 1994, was still valid. At its meeting on 10 November 1997, the SCF was informed orally that the JMPR had re-evaluated lindane at its meeting of 22 September - 1 October 1997 and had substantially lowered the ADI of lindane. The committee arrived at a consensus that its previous opinion on lindane could no longer be assumed to be valid but was unable to draft a new opinion since the underlying data for the reduction of the ADI were not available. After the November meeting, the secretariat of the SCF was informed that the JMPR had allocated a temporary ADI of O-0.001 milligramme per kilogramme of body weight and that the JMPR opinion on lindane will be published in February or March 1998.In January 1998, the Commission requested a new opinion on lindane. The SCF concluded on 15 January 1998 that a MRL of lindane of 0.02 milligramme per kilogramme in foods intended for infants and young children could be considered acceptable from the public health point of view.