Alpha-d-Glucopyranoside, Beta-d-Fructofuranosyl, Mixed Palmitates and Stearates in Pesticide Formulations; Exemption From the Requirement of a Tolerance
Key claim: EPA is allowing a sucrose-based surfactant to be used in pre-harvest pesticide sprays at up to 12% of the formula without setting a leftover-residue limit on food.
Abstract
(Rule · Environmental Protection Agency) This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of alpha-d-glucopyranoside, beta-d- fructofuranosyl, mixed palmitates and stearates (CAS Reg. No. 84066-95- 5) when used as an inert ingredient (surfactant) on growing crops pre- harvest at no more than 12% of the final pesticide formulation. Elicit Plant S.A.S submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting establishment of an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of alpha-d- glucopyranoside, beta-d-fructofuranosyl, mixed palmitates and stearates, when used in accordance with the terms of this exemption.
Why this matters
Inert-ingredient tolerance exemptions like this one lower formulation and compliance costs for pesticide manufacturers and the farmers who apply their products, without triggering residue testing on treated crops. For consumers, the practical effect is narrow — the substance is a food-grade sucrose-fatty-acid ester — but each such exemption incrementally expands the universe of unmetered inert residues permitted on food, a recurring point of debate in EPA’s FFDCA tolerance program.