Following an urgent request from the European Commission (EC) on 21 April, the European Food Safety Association (EFSA) has today published a statement on the risks to public health related to the presence of chlormequat residues in table grapes originating from India, which may be exceeding the current legal limit established at European level. The use of the plant growth regulator is not permitted in the European Union for use on table grapes.
In the statement, EFSA's experts said that if the concentration of chlormequat on grapes does not exceed the threshold of 1.06mg per kg of fruit, it is not likely to pose a short-term risk for public health.
However, these experts added that children in those EU countries with the highest consumption levels of table grapes would be the most exposed group, and that if children were to eat at one time a large amount of grapes containing chlormequat at levels above 1.06mg per kg, health risks could not be excluded.
EFSA specified that acute symptoms could include irritation mouth or throat, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and headache.
It was also noted that the calculated threshold residue should not be understood as a maximum residue Level (MRL) recommendation, but it is the result of a safety assessment for a specific case and has been provided to support EU decision makers in managing possible consumer health risks.
Read the full EFSA statement here
