Maximum residue levels for didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC)

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/377 of 15 February 2023 amending Annexes II, III, IV and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for benzalkonium chloride (BAC), chlorpropham, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), flutriafol, metazachlor, nicotine, profenofos, quizalofop-P, sodium aluminium silicate, thiabendazole and triadimenol in or on certain products

Update

The EU has reduced the MRL for didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) to 0.05 mg/kg on all products except animal products.

Impacted Products

fruits, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, oil fruits, cereals, hops, spices, sugar plants

What is changing?

The MRL for DDAC (any ratio of constituent isomers) on fruits, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds and oil fruits, cereals, hops, spices and sugar plants is decreased from 0.1 to 0.05 mg/kg.

Why?

DDAC is no longer approved as a plant protection product in the EU, but is used as a biocide for disinfection. This use may lead to detectable residues in food.

Use as a biocide frequently results in residue levels above the default MRL 0.01 mg/kg. Temporary MRLs were therefore set for DDAC in 2014. Monitoring data has subsequently shown residue levels consistently lower than those MRLs in plants, but similar to those MRLs in animal products. The current MRLs are therefore lowered for plants but maintained for animal products.

Timeline

The new MRLs for DDAC will apply from 14 September 2023.

Recommended Actions

Any sector exporting plant-based products – particularly citrus fruit (on the basis of DDAC-related notifications made to the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, RASFF) – should reassess its use of DDAC as a disinfectant to ensure the new MRLs can be met.

Background

MRLs are set in accordance with the rules set out in Regulation 396/2005. For information on current MRLs for other substances, please consult the EU Pesticide Residues database.

Sources