Principles governing consumer safety in relation to pesticide residues: report of a meeting of a WHO Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues held jointly with the FAO Panel of Experts on the Use of Pesticides in Agriculture

Overview

In 1959 the FAO Panel of Experts on the Use of Pesticides in Agriculture reviewed some major problems on the use of pesticides and made several recommendations for further studies in this field. One recommendation was that FAO, jointly with WHO, should study:  

1. the hazard to consumers arising from pesticide residues in and on food and feedstuffs; 
2. the establishment of principles governing the setting up of pesticide tolerances; 
3. the feasibility of preparing an International Code for the toxicological and residue data required in achieving the safe use of a pesticide. 

In order to implement this recommendation, a joint meeting between a WHO Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues and the FAO Panel of Experts was held in Rome from 9 to 16 October 1961. In their letters to members of this joint Meeting, the Directors—General of FAO and WHO stated that the Meeting should consider, among other matters, principles for establishing tolerances for pesticide residues in food. In addition to carrying out this assignment, the meeting also undertook to outline principles of consumer safety and to give guidance on how these principles might be put into practice.