What is the cocktail effect?
Over 350 active substances are approved as pesticides in the United Kingdom (UK), and other compounds may be present in food imported from other EU states and elsewhere. Many pesticides and veterinary medicines contain only one active ingredient. However, some may contain more than one active ingredient and individual foods (either crops or foods of animal origin) may have been treated with a number of pesticides or veterinary medicines. Furthermore, in any one meal, individuals may eat a variety of foods that may have been treated with a number of different pesticides or veterinary medicines. This means that our diet may contain residues of a number of different pesticides and veterinary medicines, often described as a cocktail. Consumers and interested organisations have been concerned for some time about the possible implications of interactions between the components of mixtures of chemicals dubbed the ‘cocktail effect’. The Food Standards Agency had also carried out a telephone co
