Food Quality Protection Act
The Food Quality Protection Act[1] (FQPA) of 1996 is a United States federal law. The FQPA amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by changing the way that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates and regulates pesticides. The EPA worked for ten years to make the changes in national pesticide regulation that led to tremendous enhancements in public health and environmental protection.
When the FQPA passed on August 3, 1996, House Commerce Committee Chairman Bliley noted the bill was a
"landmark bipartisan agreement that will bring Federal regulation of the Nation's food producers into the 21st century."
Recognizing the formidable charge Congress was placing on the EPA, Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts stated that
"the ultimate success of this reform will rest with the professionalism and the common sense of EPA."
FQPA requirements [2]
1. FQPA requires a new safety standard – reasonable certainty of no harm – that must be applied to all pesticides used on food commodities
2. FQPA requires EPA to reassess all existing tolerances within 10 years
3. FQPA requires EPA to set tolerances for residues resulting from uses allowed under FIFRA section 18 emergency exemptions
4. FQPA requires EPA to consider risks to infants and children when setting tolerances
5. FQPA requires EPA to consider all "aggregate risk” from exposure to a pesticide from multiple sources when assessing tolerances
6. FQPA requires EPA to consider "cumulative exposure" to pesticides that have common mechanisms of toxicity
7. EPA developed science policies regarding risk assessments
8. FQPA mandates EPA to expedite approval of "reduced risk" pesticides
9. FQPA authorized EPA to give special consideration to minor uses
10. List pests of significant public health importance
11. Special consideration to pesticides with public health uses
12. Encourage the safe and necessary use of methods to combat and control pests of public health importance
13. Waivers of maintenance fees for public health pesticides
14. FQPA mandates EPA to expedite review of applications to register antimicrobial products
15. FQPA exempted certain antimicrobial pesticides from the pesticide container provisions of FIFRA
16. FQPA requires EPA to screen pesticides for endocrine disruption
17. FQPA requires periodic review of pesticide registrations (with a goal of every 15 years)
18. FQPA mandated changes in tolerance fee collection
19. FQPA requires food consumption surveys
20. FQPA requires the collection of pesticide residue data
21. FQPA requires the promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
22. FQPA requires EPA to implement IPM education programs
23. FQPA requires EPA to implement IPM Research and Demonstration
24. FQPA encourages the harmonization of tolerances with international standards, as established by Codex
25. FQPA requires national uniformity of tolerances
26. FQPA mandated EPA to coordinate Federal and State data requirements
27. FQPA mandates development and distribution of a food safety brochure on health effects of pesticides
28. FQPA mandated EPA to report annually on the progress of its reregistration program
See also
References
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/laws/fqpa/