The Council of the European Union has adopted a Commission Regulation updating maximum residue levels (MRLs) for eight active substances in or on certain food products, aligning EU limits with international standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CXL). The Regulation, published on 23 July 2026, amends Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and affects EU food and feed operators, as well as Member States responsible for enforcement.
The Regulation sets new or revised MRLs for azoxystrobin, etofenprox, fenpropidin, flupyradifurone, hexythiazox, imazalil, spinosad, and tebufenozide. Most of these limits are based on CXL adoptions from 12 July 2019 (imazalil in bananas) and 13 November 2025 (other substances in various food products). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the risks and found these CXLs safe for EU consumers, except where the EU had previously raised reservations. Consequently, the Regulation excludes specific CXLs for etofenprox in eggs, fenpropidin in bananas, flupyradifurone in several animal commodities (edible offals, fat, and muscle of avian; edible offals and fat of mammalians except milk fats; muscle of mammals other than marine mammals; milks and eggs), and hexythiazox in cane berries. For azoxystrobin in kumquats, the MRL is set at the existing CXL for citrus fruits, following a Codex classification revision on 18 July 2014. Additionally, for tebufenozide, MRLs are increased for a range of tree nuts (Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts/cobnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nut kernels, pistachios, and 'others'), based on an EFSA reasoned opinion from 2026.
The Regulation enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. This update primarily impacts EU food importers and domestic producers who must comply with the revised limits, potentially affecting trade flows for products where EU MRLs diverge from Codex standards. The exclusions of certain CXLs maintain stricter EU consumer protection for specific commodities, while the increased tebufenozide limits for tree nuts may ease compliance for producers and traders in that sector. No prior coverage of this file exists in the available record.