Statement on the dietary risk assessment for proposed temporary maximum residue levels (t-MRLs) for fosetyl-Al in certain crops

In accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the European Commission requested EFSA to perform a dietary risk assessment of the proposed temporary MRLs for fosetyl-Al. These temporary MRLs should accommodate for residues found in different commodities which are according to food business operators most likely resulting from the use of foliar phosphorous fertilizers which could mimic the treatment with fosetyl-Al. The European Commission proposed to raise the existing MRLs as a proportionate risk management measure on a temporary basis to avoid market disruptions, provided that the proposed temporary MRLs do not pose a consumer heath risk. EFSA concludes that the overall dietary exposure to fosetyl-Al (sum of fosetyl and phosphonic acid and their salts expressed as fosetyl) linked to the proposed temporary MRLs for the crops under assessment and the existing MRLs for other commodities covered by the EU MRL legislation is not expected to result in a consumer exposure exceeding the toxicological reference values for fosetyl. Considering that the exposure assessment was performed with a conservative approach which is likely to overestimate the real exposure, EFSA concludes that the proposed temporary MRLs are unlikely to pose a consumer health risk. Since the source of the occurrence of the residues in the crops under consideration is not clarified, the conclusions of the risk assessment are restricted to the identified residues of phosphonic acid. EFSA derived several recommendations to be considered by risk managers to identify the source of the contamination aiming to reduce the uncertainties of the risk assessment.