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BfR Consumer Monitor 2016
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Special Plant Protection Products
Foreword
Dear Readers,
For many years now, residues of plant protection products in
foods have headed consumers’ lists of topics that people believe
could impair the quality and safety of our food. You can now add
to this the public debate about the assessment of the health
risk of glyphosate, the most commonly used active substance
in plant protection products in the world. Just like every other
active substance in a plant protection product, glyphosate is also
re-assessed at regular intervals within the scope of EU active
substance evaluation with regard to its risks to health and the
environment, as well as its effectiveness. As Germany is cur-
rently the Rapporteur Member State for the Community evaluation
and assessment of glyphosate, BfR was commissioned with the
assessment of the possible health risks of the substance.
BfR took this as an opportunity to conduct a representative survey
on the subject “Plant Protection Products” to find out what atti-
tudes the public has to plant protection products in general and
glyphosate in particular. The last time BfR conducted such a
survey was in 2010.
The survey also investigates whether and how the discussion of
glyphosate in the media is perceived by consumers. It was also
asked whether the report on the detection of small quantities of
glyphosate in urine, which scientists had been expecting, was
picked up on by the general public or whether it tends to be
more of a discussion conducted by various actors in the media.
You will find the results of this survey in this special issue of the
BfR Consumer Monitor which we hope you will enjoy reading.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel
President Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)