Tomatoes, like other agricultural products, may contain residues of pesticides used during cultivation, obviously within certain limits established by legislation to protect the health of consumers. But what happens when you ask to increase the maximum quantity allowed?
This is the case of flupyradifuronean insecticide for which Bayer has submitted a request to change the maximum residue limits in tomatoes, bringing to the attention of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) a proposal that would more than double the current value.
In a scientific opinion published on 8 October 2026, EFSA assessed the application and proposed to raise the maximum residue limit (MRL) of flupyradifurone from 0.7 to 1.5 milligrams per kilogram. The evaluation also concerns DFA, a metabolite of the substance, i.e. a compound that can form from the transformation of the pesticide in the plant or in the environment.
According to EFSA, consumer exposure to residues of the two substances, considering the declared agricultural uses, is unlikely to pose a health risk, either in the short or long term. However, this is not a guarantee that the pesticide is risk-free in all circumstances.
What is Flupyradifurone
Flupyradifurone is an active substance used as an insecticide in agriculture. Its presence in plant products is subject to maximum residue limits, established by European legislation to take into account the foreseen agricultural uses and protect the health of consumers.
The maximum residue limit indicates the maximum amount of pesticide that can legally remain in food, not the amount that farmers can spread on crops. It doesn’t even mean that that amount is necessarily ingested by anyone who eats the product.
In the present case, Bayer AG requested to change the existing limits for flupyradifurone and its metabolite DFA in tomatoes. The application was submitted to the competent national authority in Greece but the possible modification would not only concern tomatoes sold in Greece, the maximum residue limits are in fact harmonized at European level and apply to foods marketed in all Member States.
EFSA examined the data provided in support of the application and considered that it was sufficient to make new proposals for maximum residue limits for both substances. However, it is important to clarify that we are talking about a scientific proposal and not about a new limit that has already come into force.
What EFSA says about health risks
To assess the safety of the change requested by Bayer, EFSA estimated how much flupyradifurone and DFA consumers could consume through food, comparing the results with toxicological reference values. In the case of tomatoes, the estimated acute exposure reaches 43% of the acute reference dose (ARfD) for the group of children considered most exposed. In the long term, however, the contribution of the residues present in tomatoes has been estimated at 1.44% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI). Considering all the foods included in the evaluation, the overall chronic exposure reaches a maximum of 55% of the ADI, in the population group that was most exposed.
These are percentages which, according to EFSA’s assessment, remain below the reference values and do not indicate a risk for consumers in the conditions examined. However, it is important to understand that these are exposure estimates, drawn up on the basis of residues detected in tests and data on food consumption, not measurements carried out on all people who eat tomatoes.
The opinion also highlights an aspect that should not be overlooked. For DFA, the metabolite of flupyradifurone, EFSA distinguishes between residues due to direct treatment of tomatoes and those that can be absorbed by the roots through the soil, even following previous treatments on other crops. For this reason it proposes two possible limits: 0.08 mg/kg considering only direct treatment and 0.4 mg/kg also including residues potentially absorbed by the soil. The second value coincides with the currently expected limit.
The choice between the two options requires further evaluation by the authorities managing the risk: it is necessary to decide whether to maintain the higher limit to take into account absorption from the soil or adopt measures to reduce the presence of residues in subsequent crops. This is distinct from food risk assessment, which EFSA considers unlikely in both scenarios.
And in Italy?
The fact that the application was submitted in Greece can be misleading. In the European system, a Member State may be responsible for initially examining an application, but maximum residue limits are harmonized at Union level.
The procedure provides that, following EFSA’s opinion, the European Commission develops a draft regulation. The text is submitted to the Member States according to the procedure established by European legislation and, if adopted, modifies the applicable limits.
This means that a possible increase in the limit for tomatoes could also concern those sold in Italy, in addition to those marketed in other EU countries. The same rules on residues also apply to tomatoes imported from non-European countries.
At the moment, however, EFSA’s opinion does not equate to definitive approval of the change. To find out when and if the new limit will actually become applicable, it will be necessary to check any European Commission regulation published in the Official Journal of the Union.
The fact is that when a limit is raised, the question to be asked is not only whether the new value is compatible with the protection of health according to the available evaluation, but also what production needs make the change necessary and whether alternatives are possible that allow the use of pesticides to be limited.
Because protecting those who consume certainly means evaluating the risks on the basis of scientific evidence, but also guaranteeing transparency on the companies’ requests, on the criteria adopted and on the decisions that can affect the food present on our tables every day.
