Thailand revised its pesticide residues monitoring procedures on fresh produce
2020-07-17
On July 15, the Thai FDA issues its revised pesticide residues monitoring measures on fresh produce that will be implemented on August 1, 2020. The revised monitoring measures will supersede any previous measures they officially published on the Thai FDA web site. Thailand Revised Its Pesticide Residues Monitoring Procedures on Fresh Produce The Office of Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy met with the Thai FDA on July 8 to discuss about the concerns over the new monitoring measures on fresh produce inspection at the port of entry. On July 15, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the revised guidelines to test imported fresh produce for pesticide residues according to the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No. 387 Re: Food Containing Pesticide Residues in Food. The revised measures supersede all previous measures officially published on the Thai FDA web site. The enforcement date remains August 1, 2020.
Below are key areas amended from previous announcements:
– The testing measure for “High Risk” category will be implemented on a random basis instead of on “every shipment” basis;
– The revised pesticides list required to be tested and on Certificate of Analysis for “High Risk” category – no more 134 pesticides required;
– The revised on the pesticides list required to be tested and on Certificate of Analysis for “Very High Risk” category – no more 134 pesticides required.
Clarification on the Guidelines
The guidelines were issued to inform importers and exporters of fresh produce on how the Thai FDA’s Import and Export inspection Division will enforce their pesticide residues monitoring program and testing protocol in relation to the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 387 Re: Pesticide Residues in Foods. (additional reference: Section III Pesticides and Other Contaminants of Thailand: FAIRS Country Report) The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had a testing protocol in place for a while but considered it an internal practice. In the past, if any shipment tested positive, the exporter’s names will be in the Thai FDA’s quarantined list and the Thai FDA notified the importer for legal action (the importer notified the exporter and paid a fine for the violation) and the following three shipments of the same product by the importer from the same exporter would be held and tested for pesticide residue. The Thai FDA classifies imported produce based on their risk levels into three classifications and from August 1, 2020 onwards, the following key measures will be implemented by the Thai FDA at the port of entry.
22 October 2019
USDA Global Agricultural Information Network, 17 July 2020
; https://agfstorage.blob.core.windows.net/misc/FP_com/2020/07/22/Thai.pdf