Observatoire des Résidus de Pesticides

Observatory on Pesticide Residues - Food Section

The Pesticide Residue Observatory (ORP) collects and exploits information on pesticides in the environment.

It is implemented as part of the two actions undertaken for the National Health and Environment Plan (PNSE) 2004-2008:
- action 36 "organise the exploitation of existing data in order to assess the exposure of the population to pesticides"
- action 40 "run a health-environment surveillance network to support preventive and precautionary policies"

In 2003, the Ministries in charge of health, agriculture, consumption and the environment entrusted the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), the French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (AFSSET) and the French Environmental Institute (IFEN) with an initial task of setting up the Observatory (ORP), which led to a feasibility study being undertaken in June 2004. The Observatory, which is currently coordinated by ANSES, the Agency created in June 2010 following a merger between AFSSA and AFSSET, is also one of the key elements in the Ecophyto 2018 plan.

In this framework, the Agency is responsible for monitoring the exposure of food to pesticide residues. Its Physical-Chemical Risk Assessment Unit thus works closely with the Directorate responsible for assessing post-approval risks of products for consumers and with the Directorate for regulated products responsible for evaluating risks when approving active substances and phytopharmaceutical products.

The work involves four themes:
- Monitoring the food exposure of the population,
- Acquiring and structuring knowledge on pesticides found in food and on the agricultural use of pesticides,
- Developing methodology for evaluating food exposure particularly when it is combined with pesticide residues,
- Defining and updating chronic and acute risk indices for food exposure of the population.

This work provides input for ANSES expertise on:
- interpretation of non-compliance with maximum residue limits (MLR),
- shaping policy and drafting plans for the Ministries responsible for agriculture and consumption for monitoring and control of pesticide residues,
- developing and validating models for predicting consumer exposure when setting MLRs.

On 1 July 2010, AFSSA and AFSSET merged to create ANSES, French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health Safety.

October 2010