The primary production is subjected to serious risks from several factors (incects, fungi, weeds, bacteria, viruses) and the use of precaution measures is necessary. The most important and common measure is the use of pesticides. There are approximatelly 2500 trade names of pesticides, containing 700 active substances, distributed today in our country. These substances, besides their impact to the ecosystem, adversely affect the quality of processed food and endanger human health, as consumers are exposed to their residues through foodstuffs.

The residues of pesticides in food must not only be safe but also as low as possible. The Maximum Residue Level (MRL) is the maximum level of a pesticide that is legally tolerated in food and feed. Regulation (EC) 396/2005 refers to almost 1100 pesticides that are in use today or even in the past in agriculture, both in EU and in third countries. The regulation also includes the MRLs of 315 agricultural products and processed products, taking in consideration the dilutions or concentrations of pesticides during processing. The regulation takes into account the safety of every different group of consumers.

Pesticides are separated in the following general categories: