Pesticide residues in food, even at low levels, pose significant health risks and have been linked to chronic illnesses and developmental issues. To protect consumers, regulatory authorities closely monitor pesticide levels in food products, ensuring they remain within safe limits. SANTE guidelines play a vital role in providing a standardized framework for analytical laboratories to accurately quantify pesticide residues with high precision and low detection levels.
SANTE guidelines were established by the European Union (EU) to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and consistency of pesticide residue testing for food and feed. They are published by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and were formerly known as SANCO—hence the reason you might also see older references to SANCO guidelines instead.
The goal of SANTE guidance documentation is to ensure that laboratories conducting pesticide residue testing follow standardized methodologies so that results are comparable and trustworthy. Since pesticide residues can pose potential health risks, strict monitoring is essential to protect consumers and maintain fair trade practices.
Through the guidelines the EU can provide detailed instructions on how laboratories should validate their methods and conduct pesticide testing, including some of the following key aspects:
SANTE regulations set criteria for the limit of detection (LOD), the smallest amount of pesticide that can be reliably detected in food and limit of quantification (LOQ), the lowest concentration of pesticide that can be measured. These ensure that even trace amounts of pesticide residues can be accurately identified.
To verify the accuracy of a method, laboratories must conduct recovery experiments, which test whether the pesticide can be efficiently extracted and detected from different food matrices. SANTE guidelines define acceptable recovery rate ranges (usually between 70% and 120%) and permissible variability limits.
Different foods—like fruits, vegetables, and cereals—have unique chemical compositions that can affect pesticide residue analysis. SANTE guidelines emphasize the importance of compensating for matrix effects to ensure results are accurate across various food types.
For food manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and contract research organizations (CROs), compliance with SANTE guidelines is essential to meet legal requirements and ensure products are safe for consumers. Many laboratories worldwide follow these standards, even outside the EU, because they represent best practices for pesticide residue analysis.
Want to learn more about how pesticide testing is conducted? Check out our latest webinar below!