Maximum residue limit meaning and food lookup in Australia
A maximum residue limit is the legal residue cap for a chemical in a food. Check Australia's Schedule 20, residue definition and food entry before sale.
A maximum residue limit (MRL) is the highest amount of a specified agricultural or veterinary chemical residue legally allowed in a specified food sold in Australia. Find the applicable limit in Schedule 20, read with Standard 1.4.2 of the Food Standards Code. These requirements generally cover Australian and imported food, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
The number alone is not enough. To compare a laboratory result with an MRL, match the chemical's permitted-residue definition and the relevant food entry. Schedule 20 expresses limits in milligrams per kilogram, or mg/kg.
MRL meaning and health risk
An MRL measures the amount of the defined residue per kilogram of the relevant food. It is not a dose per person. The legal definition ties each limit to a chemical, its permitted residue and a food, rather than setting one threshold for all uses of a pesticide. See Standard 1.4.2.
An exceedance does not, by itself, prove consumer harm. The legal compliance question and the health-risk assessment are separate. Standard 1.4.2 links MRLs to minimum effective chemical use under Good Agricultural Practice and public-health risk assessment. An MRL is not a recommended amount to consume or a direct toxicity threshold.
Where to check Australian MRLs in Schedule 20
For food-sale compliance, use Schedule 20 with Standard 1.4.2. The standard supplies rules that a search for a chemical name alone can miss, including processing and multi-ingredient calculations.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) registers and approves agricultural and veterinary chemicals. It sets MRLs and can amend Schedule 20 after assessing applications for chemical use, as FSANZ explains. An APVMA registration lookup does not replace the food-Code check. Approval to use a chemical and permission for residues in food for sale are different questions.
Check the version too. When checked on 5 November 2026, the Register displayed Schedule 20 compilation C93, F2026C01020. It was effective from 6 October 2026 and registered on 15 October 2026. Open the latest instrument when making a decision, rather than relying on a saved copy.
How to look up a food limit
Find the chemical and read its residue definition
Open Schedule 20 and find the chemical. Read the full permitted-residue definition before selecting a number. It may cover the parent compound or a sum of compounds, and definitions can differ by commodity type.
Compare that definition with the laboratory report. Where the residue consists of more than one chemical, Standard 1.4.2 requires calculation of all such chemicals present. A parent-compound result alone may leave the compliance question unresolved.
Match the food and the portion tested
Check the specific food entry, relevant food groups and exclusions. Schedule 20 also contains broader entries, such as "All other foods except animal food commodities". A missing crop name in a text search does not establish that no permission exists. Read the applicable chemical entry in full.
Then check the commodity description and portion. Standard 1.4.2 says food references mean the food described in Schedule 22. Only the portion specified there enters the calculation. Match the tested portion to that requirement before comparing results.
Read the symbols beside the amount
In Schedule 20, an asterisk (*) means the limit of determination. It does not mean zero. The letter T identifies a temporary MRL. Keep these symbols with the amount when recording an entry.
Check processed foods and mixtures
Standard 1.4.2 applies the same maximum amount to processed and unprocessed food, unless it specifies an amount for the processed food. Do not assume that processing places a food outside the rule.
Multi-ingredient foods need a separate check under subsection 1.4.2-4(3). Use its calculation rather than applying one ingredient's limit directly to the entire finished product. Save the entry and laboratory reporting basis with your decision. As a recordkeeping practice, also save the compilation identifier and effective date.
What if no MRL entry appears?
A failed keyword search is not a legal conclusion. Check broader commodity entries, exclusions and applicable scope exceptions. Also consider Schedule 21 permissions for extraneous residues, as described in Standard 1.4.2.
If no applicable permission exists after those checks, the Code's general prohibition on detectable agricultural or veterinary chemical residues applies. Do not substitute a foreign default limit or assume a blanket Australian fallback of 0.01 mg/kg. The permission must come from the applicable Code provisions.
Do Codex MRLs apply to imported food?
A Codex MRL does not automatically create Australian permission. The Codex pesticide database directory provides an international reference for pesticide/commodity combinations, including extraneous MRLs. Australian food-sale checks still require the applicable Code permission. FSANZ describes a harmonisation process involving Codex or equivalent authorities' limits, rather than automatic adoption.
Despite the shared Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code name, Standard 1.4.2 and Schedule 20 apply in Australia only. New Zealand has its own MRL standard. FSANZ identifies a specific exception under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement. Food imported from New Zealand that complies with New Zealand regulations is exempt from Schedule 20. Do not read that as a general exemption for food merely routed through New Zealand.
RegAffairs AI answers what maximum residue limit means in Australia.