Biological pesticides help growers to produce healthier food

By Jesus Gonzales

Biological pesticides help growers to produce healthier food

Overview

The use of biological pesticides has come to mitigate the concerns caused by using chemical pesticides in the agriculture. While the benefits of using synthetic pesticides have been well recognized, its unwanted side effects on human health and environment have become a major concern. Integrating biological pesticides in pest management programs helps growers to mitigate most negative effects caused by chemical pesticides. Biological pesticides do not have residue problems that matter of concern for consumers, and ensure growers trade their harvest without restrictions, particularly for fruits and vegetables.

In the last decade, one out of seven of the total world human population is going hungry, to fight against the enormous challenge that represents feeding a fast-growing world population, pesticides have played a key role in enabling farmers to produce foods at affordable prices (FAO 2023). Production of grains, fruits, and vegetables have more than tripled since 1960, thanks in large part to pesticides. It is estimated that without the use of pesticides, more than 80% of crop yields would be lost due to weeds, insect pests and plant diseases during the production and postharvest management (FAOSTAT accessed in May 2024). Losses caused by insect pests are emerging as a major cause of the global decline in crop yields, and are directly associated with the farming systems adopted by the farmers, their economic condition, and their adaptability to ecologically sustainable or regenerative agriculture technology. However, it is difficult to assess the total damage caused by insects globally. According to current estimations, insect pests are responsible for 38% of all agricultural losses which represents over US $470 billion annually (Junaid and Gokce, 2024).

Despite its indisputable contribution to food security, chemical pesticides have caused ecological, and health problems to humans, being among the main chronic and acute intoxication causes (FAO 2023), the populations facing a major risk are those directly in contact with chemical pesticides, including agricultural workers who apply them, and at a lower level all people who consume the harvest directly as fresh fruit and vegetables, or indirectly as animal product derivatives like meat, cheese, eggs, or others (Li et al, 2022).

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that pesticide residues in harvests pose a significant threat to human health. In the last decades, the importance of consuming healthy food has become a concern due to the intensive and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides (WHO accessed in May 2024). Farmers have a deep understanding of agricultural practices, but they may lack technical knowledge of pesticides safety considerations (Damalas et al, 2016). Thus, it is vital to inform growers, customers and final consumers about the potential risks of pesticide use, being critical to monitor their levels in all harvests, mainly in fruit and vegetables.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with Food and Agriculture  Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is responsible for evaluating the pesticide risks to humans. Those risk evaluations are done by The Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) which is a group of experts administered jointly by both institutions with the mission of harmonizing the evaluation criteria and the risk assessment on the pesticide residues. After evaluating the risk, the JMPR sets standards to minimize

the adverse effects caused by pesticides along the consumer life, these standards are used by organizations like The European Union Commission (EU), Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), and others from 23 countries that have their own agencies to set MRLs, such as The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (Joint FAO/WHO¹ accessed in May 2024).

WHO has two objectives about pesticides:

• Warn governments of the risks and recommend the prohibition of the most

toxic pesticides.

• Protect human health by setting Maximum Residues Limits (MRLs) in food

and water.

Based on pesticide residues’ relevance to human health, since the early 21st century, the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in harvests, have become the main restrictive criterium for food trade policies (Mina et al, 2022). Agricultural goods are exported to tens of countries across the world, in all cases the exporters are obliged to meet the local MRLs demanded by the importer country, or the World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements, which are the internationally agreed criteria for pesticide residues when no local standards are available (Mina et al 2022).  Sticking to food safety criteria, many local supermarkets are also demanding MRLs of pesticides to domestically produced harvest which has made this requirement not exclusive of international trade but also a market restriction for growers to access domestic markets (NOM-082-SAG-FITO/SSA1-2017).

Biological pesticides are plant protection products that have been developed from natural compounds, they are free from substances that could cause harm to the farmer or the final consumer of harvests. As growers have become more conscious of the negative effect of chemical pesticides, biological pesticides are gaining relevance, demonstrating to be a healthier and greener alternative to control insect pests. Biological pesticides are safer for growers, and do not leave residues in harvest that compromise the human or animal health (Ayilara 2023).

Products formulated with Metarhizium bruneum strain F52 (previously known as Metarhizium anisopliae), have proven to be of lower risk for workers and consumers of the harvest treated with them. The Codex Alimentarius Commission does not establish an MRL for Metarhizium

anisopliae and enlists it in criterion 4, which includes non-pathogenic microorganisms,

that do not produce toxins or secondary metabolites potentially harmful to mammals,

beneficial microorganisms or humans. (Joint FAO/WHO2, 2021). On the other hand, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 in all food commodities when applied as an insecticide, miticide, or ixodicide. EPA has not found Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 shares a common mechanism of toxicity with any other substances, nor produce any toxic metabolite. Therefore, EPA concludes that there are no cumulative effects associated with Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 that need to be considered as a risk to human health or the environment. (EPA2 accessed on May 28th 2024).

• Chemical pesticide residues in harvests have become a mayor human health concern.

• LALGUARD M52 OD is a biological insecticide excepted from maximum residue levels (MRL).

• Including LALGUARD M52 OD in pest management programs helps growers minimize chemical pesticide residues threats.

• Using biological insecticides also helps growers reduce field workers’ hazards, in addition to minimize the negative environmental impacts caused by consecutive pesticide sprayings.