PESTICIDE-RESIDUES IN FOODS - RECENT EVENTS AND EMERGING ISSUES

Food safety concerns involving pesticide residues continue to receive widespread public, legislative, and scientific attention. The National Research Council's 1993 report Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children concluded that significant improvements in the U.S. governme nt's pesticide risk assessment and food tolerance establishment proced ures were needed. Strict interpretation of the Delaney Clause by the U .S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has led to the projected eliminatio n of several pesticide uses due to statutory, rather than scientific c onsiderations. Congressional ''solutions'' to the Delaney problem may have broad impacts upon future pest management practices if adopted. E merging issues include the safety of imported produce and the potentia l effects of trade agreements such as NAFTA and GATT upon U.S. pestici de residue standards.