Quarantine organisms
Quarantine organisms are regulated in the EU. Their introduction must be prevented. Several quarantine organisms already exist in the Netherlands, and their further spread must be prevented.

BuRO has assessed which of the more than 400 quarantine organisms are relevant to the cultivation and trade of food crops in the Netherlands. They investigated how these organisms can be introduced into the food crop chain, the risk of this, and the extent of damage they can cause.

Examples of relevant quarantine organisms for the food crop chain are:

- the bacterium Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens
- the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica
- the nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii
- Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus

Chemical risks
BuRO has assessed the following parts of the food chain: leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, underground vegetables, legumes, sprouts, and cresses, and the mushroom chain.

Substances that can occur unintentionally in vegetables include environmental contaminants that can be absorbed by the crops during cultivation, but also, for example, plant toxins that occur naturally in the plant or mycotoxins that are produced by fungi on the plant.

These can also be substances that enter food from water, machinery, equipment, or packaging materials. Furthermore, chemical substances can be created during processing, for example, during heating (process contaminants). Chemical substances can also be deliberately used, such as crop protection products used in crop cultivation or additives used during processing.

Intake of chemical substances
In general, it can be concluded that the intake of chemical substances through the consumption of vegetables and cultivated mushrooms does not lead to risks to public health.

An important assumption for this is that there is no serious contamination of water, soil and air, and that the use of crop protection products and food additives is carried out in accordance with the permits and instructions for use.

Phased approach
The number of food crops and plant-based foods is very large. Therefore, the risk assessment is carried out in phases. The crops and plant-based foods are divided into the following product groups: potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits and nuts, grains and seeds, herbs, spices, and plant products not elsewhere specified. The advisory report on potatoes has already been published; see BuRO's Advisory Report on the Risks of the Potato Supply Chain .

With this risk assessment, BuRO aims to identify the potential hazards to plant health and food safety within the food crop supply chain. It also aims to assess the risks associated with these hazards. BuRO will later advise on measures to reduce these risks.

Inspection responses and BuRO response
Several organizations took the opportunity to respond to an earlier version of the risk assessment. These responses, along with BuRO's response, can be found in the appendices below.

Note: all documents are saved below, the phytosanitary risk assessment is marked as 'pest risk analysis' while chemical and management responses are indicated as 'other'.