EU Updates Pesticide Database with 19384 Processing Factors and 4564 Medians

On May 22, 2025, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released Document No. 2025.9477, announcing the third revision of the EU’s pesticide residue processing factor database. The update reflects EFSA’s ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy of pesticide exposure assessments in processed foods.

The processing factor is the ratio between pesticide residues in processed vs. raw foods, and plays a critical role in evaluating both consumer dietary exposure and regulatory compliance with EU maximum residue levels. Since its first edition in 2018, the database has grown considerably and now contains 2838 studies, 19384 individual processing factors, and 4564 median values, all assessed against the latest residue definitions.

In this latest revision, EFSA added fewer new entries than in previous updates—an indication that the current database already offers comprehensive coverage. Alongside the main update, three supporting documents were also revised to reflect recent changes.

Notably, new processing scenarios for oat flour and soybean flour have been added to the representative processing methods guide, offering greater clarity for commonly consumed food products.

EFSA emphasized that all data in the database meets strict quality criteria, including storage stability and consistency in methodology, ensuring the information is reliable for both regulatory and scientific use.