German results from the monitoring of pesticide residues in food

This dataset contains the analytical results of pesticide residues measured in the food products analysed by the national competent authorities. Pesticide residues resulting from the use of plant protection products on crops that are used for food or feed production may pose a risk factor for public health. For this reason, a comprehensive legislative framework has been established in the European Union (EU), which defines rules for the approval of active substances used in plant protection products, the use of plant protection products and for pesticide residues in food. In order to ensure a high level of consumer protection, legal limits, so called “maximum residue levels” or briefly “MRLs”, are established in Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. EU-harmonised MRLs are set for all pesticides covering all types of food products. A default MRL of 0.01 mg/kg is applicable for pesticides not explicitly mentioned in the MRL legislation. Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 imposes on Member States the obligation to carry out controls to ensure that food placed on the market is compliant with the legal limits. A sample is considered <strong>free of quantifiable residues</strong> if the analytes were not present in concentrations at or above the limit of quantification (LOQ). The LOQ is the smallest concentration of an analyte that can be quantified with the analytical method used to analyse the sample. It is commonly defined as the minimum concentration of the analyte in the test sample that can be determined with acceptable precision and accuracy. If a sample is <strong>contains quantifiable residues</strong> but within the legally permitted limit (maximum residue level, MRL), it is described as a sample with quantified residue levels within the legal limits (below or at the MRL) A sample is considered <strong>non-compliant</strong> with the legal limit (MRL), if the measured residue concentrations clearly exceed the legal limits, taking into account the measurement uncertainty. It is current practice that the uncertainty of the analytical measurement is taken into account before legal or administrative sanctions are imposed on food business operators for infringement of the MRL legislation.本数据集收录了由国家主管部门开展检测的食品中农药残留的分析检测结果。在用于食品或饲料生产的农作物上施用植物保护产品（plant protection products）所产生的农药残留，可能对公众健康构成风险。为此，欧盟（European Union, EU）建立了一套完善的法律监管框架，对植物保护产品所用活性物质的审批、植物保护产品的使用以及食品中农药残留的监管作出明确规定。 为保障高水平的消费者权益保护，《欧盟（EC）第396/2005号法规》确立了法定限量，即**最大残留限量（maximum residue levels, 简称MRLs）**。欧盟统一的MRLs适用于覆盖所有食品品类的各类农药。对于MRL法规中未明确列明的农药，适用0.01 mg/kg的默认MRL。《欧盟（EC）第396/2005号法规》要求各成员国承担检测监管义务，确保上市流通的食品符合法定限量要求。 若待测物的浓度未达到定量限（limit of quantification, LOQ）及以上，则该样品被判定为**无定量检出残留**。定量限（LOQ）是指采用样品分析所用检测方法可对分析物进行定量检测的最低浓度，通常定义为待测样品中分析物可被以可接受的精密度与准确度检出的最低浓度。 若样品**检出定量残留**，且其残留浓度处于法定允许的最大残留限量（MRL）范围内（即低于或等于MRL），则该样品被描述为残留浓度符合法定限量的样品。 若检测得到的残留浓度在考虑测量不确定度后显著超出法定限量（MRL），则该样品被判定为**不符合法规要求**。当前行业通行做法为：在因违反MRL法规而对食品经营者采取法律或行政处罚措施前，必须将分析测量的不确定度纳入考量。