17 December 2009
HC Pub: 8350
ISBN: 978-1-100-13273-0 (print version)
ISBN: 978-1-100-13274-7 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2009-22E (print version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2009-22E-PDF (PDF version)

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Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has granted full registration to the end-use product SmartFresh SmartTabs, containing 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), for postharvest use on bananas. The specific use approved in Canada is detailed on the product label of SmartFresh SmartTabs, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 28781.

The evaluation of this 1-MCP application indicated the end-use product has merit and value, and the human health and environmental risks associated with the new use are acceptable. Details regarding the registration can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report available in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.¹

Before registering a pesticide for food use in Canada, the PMRA must determine the quantity of residues likely to remain in or on the food when the pesticide is used according to label directions and that such residues will not be a concern to human health. This quantity is then legally established as a maximum residue limit (MRL). An MRL applies to the identified raw agricultural food commodity as well as to any processed food product that contains it, except where separate MRLs are specified for the raw agricultural commodity and a processed product made from it.

Consultation on the proposed MRL for 1-MCP is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps, the last section of this document).

To comply with Canada's international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRL is also being conducted internationally by notifying the World Trade Organization, as coordinated by the Standards Council of Canada.

The proposed MRL for 1-MCP in Canada in or on food, to be added to the MRLs already legally established, is as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limit for 1-Methylcyclopropene

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
1-methylcyclopropene	1-methylcyclopropene	0.01	Bananas

A complete list of all MRLs established in Canada can be found on the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

International Situation and Trade Implications

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has ruled 1-MCP exempt from residue tolerance requirements in or on fruits and vegetables when used as a postharvest plant growth regulator (see the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations under §180.1220). Currently, Codex MRLs² have not been established for 1-MCP on any commodity. A listing of established Codex MRLs is available on the  Pesticide Residues in Food website.

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRL for 1-MCP up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document. Please forward your comments to Publications. The PMRA will consider all comments received before making a final decision on the proposed MRL for 1-MCP and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.