Reporting data on pesticide residues in food and feed according to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 (2016 data collection)

According to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed, Member States have to monitor pesticide residue levels in food samples and submit the monitoring results to EFSA and the European Commission. The Standard Sample Description (SSD) is the data model used for reporting the data on analytical measurements of chemical substances occurring in food, feed and water to EFSA. In 2015, EFSA issued a thoroughly revised guidance defining the appropriate SSD codes to describe the samples and the analytical results for the reporting of the 2014 pesticide residues monitoring data. In May 2016, a new guidance was published for the coding of specific SSD data elements for the reporting of the 2015 pesticide monitoring data. In the current document, new coding provisions are delivered for specific data elements to code the data generated in 2016. These provisions take into account the experience of both the previous reporting seasons and the new legislation applicable in 2016. In addition, new explanatory examples on the appropriate coding for specific food samples are provided.