Copper compounds in food: Regulation (EU) 2026/840 moves the MRLs to permanent Annex II and changes the residue definition to “total copper” — limits of quantification as proposed by EU reference laboratories
Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/840, published on 16 April 2026, sets new maximum residue levels (MRLs) for copper compounds in food. The copper column was deleted from the temporary Part A of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and added to Annex II.
- The copper compounds group covers Bordeaux mixture, copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride, copper oxide and tribasic copper sulfate. EFSA proposed changing the residue definition to “total copper content”, and the Commission accepted it — laboratories therefore determine total copper.
- The Commission consulted the EU reference laboratories for pesticide residues on the need to adapt certain limits of quantification; they proposed analytically achievable limits for individual products. The regulation notes (recital 9) that certain information on analytical methods was not available for, among others, high-oil and dry commodities, tea, coffee, cocoa, hops, spices and products of animal origin; footnotes to the annex add that, according to EFSA, certain information on the validation of analytical methods is not available.
- The MRLs for those products will be reviewed — the Commission will take into account information submitted by 30 June 2028. The regulation entered into force on the twentieth day after publication.
- It builds on three EFSA assessments: the 2018 review of the MRLs for copper compounds, the 2023 opinion finding no risk for adults below the copper retention threshold at an intake of 0.07 mg/kg body weight per day, and a 2025 statement in which — because copper is ubiquitous in the environment — EFSA considered residue trials and monitoring data. Already in 2023 EFSA found that plant protection products do not contribute significantly to copper exposure.
Source: Rozporządzenie Komisji (UE) 2026/840 z dnia 15 kwietnia 2026 r. (Dz.U. L 2026/840, 16.4.2026)