Residues in Food and Feed
ifp Institut für Produktqualität has set up a competence centre for the analysis of pesticide residues in Berlin-Adlershof. The centre analyses a comprehensive range of pesticides using state-of-the-art methods and technologies. For more information on pesticide analysis, please see the following pages:
What is the definition of residues?
Residues are residual amounts of substances that are intentionally used in the agricultural production of food and in the food processing industry. They include pesticides and veterinary medicines. Residues may permeate from the soil or water into food of plant origin or find their way into animal source foods through animal feed.
So residues are by definition different from contaminants. Contaminants are undesirable substances that were not intentionally added to food. Contaminants may be present in food at the point of harvest, production, processing, preparation, treatment, presentation, packaging or storage or as a result of environmental pollution.