Modification of the temporary maximum residue levels for mepiquat in cultivated fungi and oyster mushrooms

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. 2024 Jan 16;22(1):e8476. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8476

Code ^a	Commodity	Existing EU MRL (mg/kg)	Proposed EU MRL (mg/kg)	Comment/justification
Enforcement residue definition: Mepiquat (sum of mepiquat and its salts, expressed as mepiquat chloride)
0280010	Cultivated fungi (except oyster mushrooms)	0.09 ^ft	No change (Risk management consideration)	The applicant's proposal to set permanent MRL is not supported An updated assessment of the available monitoring data (from food business operators and from EU monitoring programmes) indicate that the existing temporary MRL of 0.09 mg/kg provides a compliance level of minimum 98% (non‐compliance rate ≤ 2%) and is thus sufficient to account for the residue uptake in cultivated mushrooms. The proposal of the applicant to raise the t‐MRL to 0.1 mg/kg is thus not properly justified It was noted that lower t‐MRLs (in the range 0.04–0.08 mg/kg) could be derived based on the assessment of the most recent monitoring data. EFSA did not propose specific change of the existing t‐MRL value but a risk management decision is still needed on whether to maintain it at the current level. Risk for consumers unlikely regardless of the temporary MRL option
0280010–008	Oyster mushrooms	0.7	No change or 1 mg/kg or 3 mg/kg (Risk management consideration)	The applicant's proposal to set permanent MRL in oyster mushrooms is not supported The new EU monitoring data specific to oyster mushrooms (2018–2022) do not indicate non‐compliance issue over the period 2018–2022 with the current t‐MRL However, an updated assessment of the available monitoring data from food business operators indicates that the existing temporary MRL of 0.7 mg/kg may lead to a non‐compliance rate of 7% Based on an updated assessment of the available monitoring data from food business operators, a higher t‐MRL of 1 mg/kg could be set based on Percentile 95th. Furthermore, a t‐MRL of 3 mg/kg would be supported by Percentiles 97.5th, 99th, 99.5th and by the 95th percentile of the data population at the 95% confidence level Risk for consumers unlikely regardless of the temporary MRL option

Code ^a

Commodity

Existing EU MRL (mg/kg)

Proposed EU MRL (mg/kg)

Comment/justification

Enforcement residue definition: Mepiquat (sum of mepiquat and its salts, expressed as mepiquat chloride)

0280010

Cultivated fungi (except oyster mushrooms)

0.09 ^ft

No change (Risk management consideration)

The applicant's proposal to set permanent MRL is not supported

An updated assessment of the available monitoring data (from food business operators and from EU monitoring programmes) indicate that the existing temporary MRL of 0.09 mg/kg provides a compliance level of minimum 98% (non‐compliance rate ≤ 2%) and is thus sufficient to account for the residue uptake in cultivated mushrooms. The proposal of the applicant to raise the t‐MRL to 0.1 mg/kg is thus not properly justified

It was noted that lower t‐MRLs (in the range 0.04–0.08 mg/kg) could be derived based on the assessment of the most recent monitoring data. EFSA did not propose specific change of the existing t‐MRL value but a risk management decision is still needed on whether to maintain it at the current level.

Risk for consumers unlikely regardless of the temporary MRL option

0280010–008

Oyster mushrooms

0.7

No change or 1 mg/kg or 3 mg/kg (Risk management consideration)

The applicant's proposal to set permanent MRL in oyster mushrooms is not supported

The new EU monitoring data specific to oyster mushrooms (2018–2022) do not indicate non‐compliance issue over the period 2018–2022 with the current t‐MRL

However, an updated assessment of the available monitoring data from food business operators indicates that the existing temporary MRL of 0.7 mg/kg may lead to a non‐compliance rate of 7%

Based on an updated assessment of the available monitoring data from food business operators, a higher t‐MRL of 1 mg/kg could be set based on Percentile 95th. Furthermore, a t‐MRL of 3 mg/kg would be supported by Percentiles 97.5th, 99th, 99.5th and by the 95th percentile of the data population at the 95% confidence level

Risk for consumers unlikely regardless of the temporary MRL option

Abbreviations: EU, European Union; MRL, maximum residue level; t‐MRL, temporary maximum residue level.

^{^a}

Commodity code number according to Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005.

^{^ft}

The following MRL applies to oyster mushrooms: 0.7 mg/kg. Monitoring data show that cross‐contamination of untreated cultivated fungi may occur with straw lawfully treated with mepiquat. When reviewing the MRL, the Commission will take into account the information, if it is submitted by 31 December 2022, or, if that information is not submitted by that date, the lack of it. (Reg. (EU) 2021/2202).