Food Testing & Pesticide Control: An Imperative For Food Safety 

Insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, collectively known as pesticides, are chemicals that are used in agricultural pest control. Pesticides play a vital role in food production, providing protection of crops against insects, weeds, fungi and other pests, increasing yields and the number of times per year a crop can be grown on the same land. This is particularly important in countries that face food shortages, where pesticides may be the only form of crop insurance available. This is especially the case as changeable weather conditions related to global warming increase the uncertainties associated with crop yields.

Toxicity of Pesticides

Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans and can have both acute and chronic health effects, depending on the quantity and ways in which a person is exposed. Some of the older, cheaper pesticides which can remain in soil and water for many years, have been banned from agricultural use in developed countries in terms of the 2001 Stockholm Convention  - however, some are still used in many developing countries. To protect food consumers from adverse effects of pesticides, the World Health Organisation (WHO) regularly reviews evidence and develops internationally-accepted maximum residue limits for pesticides.

There are more than 1000 pesticides used around the world to ensure food is not damaged or destroyed by pests. Each pesticide has different properties and toxicological effects.
The toxicity of a pesticide depends on its function and other factors. For example, insecticides tend to be more toxic to humans than herbicides. The same chemical can have different effects at different doses (how much of the chemical a person is exposed to). It can also depend on the route by which the exposure occurs (such as swallowing, inhaling, or direct contact with the skin).

Regulation and Standards

According to WHO, none of the pesticides that are authorized for use on food in international trade today are genotoxic (damaging to DNA, which can cause mutations or cancer). Adverse effects from these pesticides occur only above a certain safe level of exposure. When people come into contact with large quantities of pesticide, this may cause acute poisoning or long-term health effects, including cancer and adverse effects on the reproductive, immune or nervous systems. Before they can be authorized for use, pesticides should be tested for all possible health effects and the results should be analysed by experts to assess any risks to humans. Regular monitoring of residues in food and the environment is also required.

Bureau Veritas Pesticide and Food Safety Testing Services

According to Joanne Barton, Managing Director of Bureau Veritas M&L Laboratories, there has been a marked increase in the demand for pesticide testing. This increase is directly correlated to an increase in agricultural production during 2020. Pesticide testing is very specialized. Farmers use different pesticides for different produce so bananas are sprayed with a different pesticide to apples, for example. Bureau Veritas laboratories use a representative sample of produce during each test to determine the level of pesticide residue on the produce.

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In August 2018, Bureau Veritas launched a new state-of-the-art testing facility for Pesticide Residue Testing and Analysis Services in Johannesburg, South Africa, where dedicated pesticides laboratory technicians currently analyse various commodities, including: Maize, Lucerne, Canola, Apples, Table Grapes, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Citrus and Stone Fruit for both domestic and international clients.
Bureau Veritas M&L Laboratories’ average sample turnaround is 10-15 days for Pesticide Residue Analysis and implements the principles Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). GLP is a quality system concerned with the organisational process and the conditions under which non-clinical health and environmental safety studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, archived and reported. 
Bureau Veritas offers a wide scope of analytical testing services to guarantee food safety and ensure compliance with regulations and industry standards including:

• Microbiological testing – to detect the presence of harmful bacteria and other micro-organisms ensuring food to be pathogen-free and safe for consumption,
• Contaminant and Residual Analysis – to detect the presence of pesticide and heavy metals in food products, especially in fresh products,
• Physical-Chemical testing - to identify the components present in your food products to determine the nutritional content and the physical characteristics of a product,
• GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) testing confirms the identity and the nature of the product at every step of the supply chain and ensures compliance with regulations,
• DNA tests on foods - to identify the species present in a particular product, to detect fraud and guarantee the quality of food,
• Molecular Biology testing.