On March 17, 2022, Japan MHLW released the amendment to Food and Food Additive Specification Standard. According to the amendment, the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for Clethodim, Fluazinam, Flutianil, Propargite, Mandipropamid, Metamifop were revised, involving 36 kinds of food. The amendment came into effect immediately after the promulgation.
The details are shown in the table below.
Pesticide and veterinary drug | Food | After (ppm) | Before (ppm) |
Clethodim (Herbicides) | Watermelon (including pericarp), Melon (including pericarp), Oriental melon (including pericarp) | 2 | 0.01 |
Other spice | 0.1 | 0.01 | |
Fluazinam (Fungicides/Acaricide) | Sweet potato | 0.03 | 0.01 |
Loquat, loquat (excluding peduncle,including pericarp and seeds) | 3 | 2 | |
Peach (including pericarp and seeds) | 1 | 0.7 | |
Japanese apricot | 0.2 | 0.1 | |
Guava | 0.01 | 4 | |
Tea | 6 | 5 | |
Flutianil (Fungicides) | Parsley | 5 | 0.01 |
Tomato | 0.2 | 0.3 | |
Bell pepper | 0.3 | 0.01 | |
Eggplant | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
Cucumber (including Gherkin) | 0.09 | 0.2 | |
Pumpkin (including squash) | 0.06 | 0.2 | |
Watermelon | 0.01 | 0.05 | |
Other Cucurbitaceae vegetables | 0.2 | 0.01 | |
Other vegetables | 10 | 0.01 | |
Strawberry | 0.3 | 0.5 | |
Propargite (Acaricide) | Orange | / | 0.2 |
Oranges (including outer pericarp) | 4 | / | |
The fruit of amanatsu, Lemon, Orange (including navel orange), Grapefruit, Lime, Other citrus fruits | 5 | 3 | |
Peach | / | 0.1 | |
Peach (including pericarp and seeds) | 5 | / | |
Prunus salicina (including prune) | 5 | 4 | |
Corn powder | / | 0.2 | |
Corn oil (limited to edible corn oil specified in the Japanese Agricultural Standards for edible vegetable oils and fats, and edible oils that are recognized to have a standard equal to or higher than this.) | / | 0.5 | |
Corn oil (excludes edible corn oil stipulated in the Japanese Agricultural Standards for edible vegetable oils and fats, and edible oils that are recognized to have a standard equal to or higher than this.) | / | 0.7 | |
Peanut oil (limited to refined peanut oil specified in the Japanese Agricultural Standards for edible vegetable oils and fats, and edible oils that are recognized to have a standard equal to or higher than this.) | / | 0.3 | |
Peanut oil (excludes refined peanut oil stipulated in the Japanese Agricultural Standards for edible vegetable oils and fats, and edible oils that are recognized to have a standard equal to or higher than this.) | / | 0.3 | |
Orange juice | / | 0.3 | |
Apple juice | / | 0.2 | |
Mandipropamid (Fungicides)
| Potato | 0.1 | 0.09 |
Green onion (including leek) | 4 | 7 | |
Tomato | 3 | 2 | |
Oriental pickling melon | 0.5 | 0.3 | |
Watermelon | / | 0.2 | |
Watermelon (including pericarp) | 0.2 | / | |
Melon | / | 0.01 | |
Melon (including pericarp) | 0.5 | / | |
Oriental melon | / | 0.01 | |
Oriental melon (including pericarp) | 0.5 | / | |
Immature beans | 1 | 0.01 | |
Edamame | 3 | 2 | |
Orange | / | 0.3 | |
Oranges (including outer pericarp) | 3 | / | |
Cocoa beans | 0.06 | 0.01 | |
Metamifop (Herbicides) | Rice (brown rice) | 0.03 | 0.02 |
Cow fat, Fat of animals belonging to other terrestrial mammals | 0.03 | 0.01 | |
Fish and shellfish | 0.02 | 0.01 |
It is worth noting that this revision has significantly revised the limit requirements for the pesticide Fluazinam and Flutianil. As shown in the table above, the level for Fluazinam in guava was decreased from 4ppm to 0.01ppm, which is much more stringent than before. On the contrary, the limit for Flutiani in tea (increased from 0.01ppm to 5ppm) became less restrictive.
In addition, provisions on the MRLs of four pesticides in the following foods have a one-year transition period. During the period, the previous provisions are still applicable.
Pesticide | Foods |
Fluazinam | Guava |
Flutianil | Tomato, Eggplant, Cucumber (including Gherkin), Pumpkin (including squash), Watermelon, Strawberry |
Propargite | Orange, Oranges (including outer pericarp), Peach, Peach (including pericarp and seeds) |
Mandipropamid | Green onion (including leek), Watermelon, Watermelon (including pericarp), Melon, Melon (including pericarp), Oriental melon, Oriental melon (including pericarp), Orange, Oranges (including outer pericarp) |
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