Pesticides in dietary foods for infants and young children.

Abstract

> Report of the Working Group on Pesticides in Baby Foods of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) A large variety of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides are widely used in agriculture to increase yield, control microorganisms that may produce toxic or carcinogenic metabolites, and reduce the price of food production. Such pesticides are intended to kill living organisms, and a potential dose-related acute and chronic toxicity exists in humans with an estimated 800 000 cases of acute intoxications each year worldwide, including some 3000 deaths.1 2 The use of pesticides and their acceptable maximum concentration in foods therefore need to be regulated. Of particular concern is the exposure of infants and children to food contaminants because of their possible increased susceptibility for adverse effects.3-5 In this article we wish to comment from a paediatric perspective on the choices, which have recently been debated, for defining reliably safe maximum residue limits for pesticides in dietary foods for infants and young children in the European Union. The directives of the European Union on infant formulas, follow on formulas, processed cereal-based foods, and baby foods state that these products “shall not contain any substance in such quantity as to endanger the health of infants and young children”, and that maximum levels “shall be established without delay”.6 The important premise for paediatricians is that infants should not …