EFSA is conducting pan‐European dietary exposure and risk assessments related to actual levels of pesticide residues in food commodities. These assessments use the pesticide occurrence data generated under the official monitoring programs of Member States, the consumption data from EFSA's comprehensive food consumption database and pesticide‐specific information such as processing factors. Currently no harmonised list of processing factors is available within Europe and worldwide. The overall objective of this project is to develop a database of validated processing factors, which is compatible with the EFSA food classification and description system FoodEx 2. In the first part of the project, a compendium of representative processing techniques was elaborated which serves as a standard description of all relevant processes and as a basis for validation of processing studies. In the second part of the project all relevant processes and raw and processed commodities were coded according to FoodEx2. In the third and last part of the project all processing studies used by EFSA in their Conclusions and Reasoned Opinions issued until 30/06/2016 were re‐evaluated according to uniform quality criteria and reported in a database. The database is provided as a flat Excel spreadsheet. Information on processing conditions, on analytical methods, storage stability and GLP was collected from the studies and was used to judge the acceptability of each processing study. The representativeness of the processing conditions applied in the studies was judged by comparing them to the compendium of representative processing techniques. Processing factors (PF) were derived from the studies according to comprehensible calculation rules and based on the residue definitions for monitoring. The individual PF were judged for their acceptability. For each commodity/process/active substance combination a median PF was calculated from the individual ones, based on the trials from one or more studies. The database is a ready‐to‐use inventory of PF for pesticides in a variety of processed food items. In a pilot project a second database was set up with processing factors based on the residue definition for dietary risk assessment. Extension of this database is recommended.

Often, agricultural commodities are not eaten raw but undergo processing operations prior to human consumption. These may significantly affect the residue levels of pesticides contained therein and/or thereon. Due to the physico-chemical properties of the residue, its concentration may decrease or increase in processed fractions compared to the initial concentration in the raw agricultural commodity (RAC). The resulting ratio between processed fraction and RAC is denoted as processing factor (Pf). Information obtained from processing studies may serve for 2 different purposes: to decide on compliance of residues in processed products with legal standards for the RAC, and to refine dietary exposure estimation of humans and livestock with respect to residues in processed products. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) extracted and compiled the results of several processing studies, the full reports of which had been made available to BfR in the framework of applications either for pesticide authorisation, for the setting of maximum residue levels (MRL), or within the EU active substances approval programme. Each Pf derived from processing studies was reviewed against transparent quality criteria and statements have been made regarding the robustness and reliability of the study results. Compared to the former version, the revised BfR database includes a more extended, more detailed and more trustworthy compilation of more than 6500 processing factors accompanied by relevant information on key parameters of the underlying processing studies.

The EU database of processing factors for pesticide residues has been set up in 2018 and was now updated for the first time. 1301 processing studies were added to the database extending it to more than double size. The studies were either provided to EFSA in MRL setting procedures or pesticide peer reviews or they were submitted to BfR in the framework of national or zonal authorization procedures. All studies have been thoroughly (re‐)evaluated with respect to the well‐proven set of quality parameters already applied in the EU database. Processing factors were derived and their reliabilities judged. For newly reported processes such as palm oil and palm kernel oil production, sugar production from sugar cane and sake production from rice the representative processes have been described. Furthermore, new processed matrices such as selected cooked vegetables or pulses have been added to the database and to the accompanying documents.

EFSA is conducting pan‐European dietary exposure and risk assessments related to actual levels of pesticide residues in food commodities. These assessments use the pesticide occurrence data generated under the official monitoring programs of Member States, the consumption data from EFSA's comprehensive food consumption database and pesticide‐specific information such as processing factors. Currently no harmonised list of processing factors is available within Europe and worldwide. The overall objective of this project is to develop a database of validated processing factors based on the residue definitions for enforcement, which is compatible with the EFSA food classification and description system FoodEx 2. In the first part of the project, a compendium of representative processing techniques is elaborated as a standard description of all relevant processes and basis for validation of processing studies. The compendium of processing techniques is built upon a selection of representative and up‐to‐date processing studies submitted in the context of regulatory procedures for plant protection products. It covers the most important processes in food processing, both with respect to importance in consumption and production. Though not really considered as processing operations, peeling and pitting procedures are included in this compendium. For each process, a typical set of processing conditions is provided based on published literature and/or inquiry in the food processing industry. Detailed descriptions of processing conditions and yield factors for the processes are given. The processes are visualised in flowcharts. Processing studies are conducted on a very limited number of representative commodities. Extrapolation proposals are made based on the comparability of processing conditions, the plant anatomy and the plant part to be processed.

In the framework of the project ‘Database of processing techniques and processing factors compatible with the EFSA food classification and description system FoodEx2’ a compendium of representative processing techniques was prepared as a result of Objective 1. In Objective 2 the food / feed items and processes as described in the compendium of Objective 1 were coded using the FoodEx2 coding system. The coding covers the raw agricultural commodities and the food / feed items obtained after processing. Additionally a key facet was added in order to be able to link food and feed items to the EFSA RAC (Raw Agricultural Commodity)‐model. The RAC‐model links the food items as coded in the consumption data to raw agricultural commodities. Food items in this model are also coded using the FoodEx2 coding system. The sources used to code the foods, feeds and processes are described, as well as the coding decisions.