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ANSWERS · 4 OCT 2026

What are the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for acetamiprid on apples and on table grapes in the EU, the US, Codex, Japan and South Korea? Give each value with its legal source and date, and note any recent EU change.

I found apple and table-grape MRLs for acetamiprid in four of the five jurisdictions; I couldn't confirm a Japanese value from an official source. The EU limits are now much lower than the others: 0.07 mg/kg for apples and 0.08 mg/kg for table grapes. These cuts were made by Regulation (EU) 2025/158 and applied from 19 August 2025 [1].

JurisdictionApplesTable grapesLegal source and date
EU0.07 mg/kg (+ footnote) [2]0.08 mg/kg [3]Annex II to Reg. (EC) 396/2005. The latest version is Reg. (EU) 2026/876 of 21 April 2026; the EU Pesticides Database gives its entry into force as 12 May 2026 [4]. The residue is measured as the sum of acetamiprid and its N-desmethyl metabolite (IM-2-1) [5]
US1.0 ppm (pome fruit group 11-10) [6]0.35 ppm (small vine-climbing fruit except fuzzy kiwifruit, subgroup 13-07F) [7]40 CFR 180.578, eCFR text current as of 31 Aug 2026. The section was last amended at 90 FR 31899 (16 July 2025)
Codex0.8 mg/kg (pome fruits group, FP 0009) [8]0.5 mg/kg (grapes, FB 0269) [9]Codex MRLs (CXLs) adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2012
South Korea0.3 mg/kg (pome fruits group, 인과류). The current MFDS table has no separate apple line; pears and quinces have their own lines [10]2.0 mg/kg (grapes, 포도) [11]MFDS domestic MRL table. The grape value was changed by the revision notice of 14 Nov 2024 and applies from 15 Nov 2024
JapanNot confirmedNot confirmedSee below

Japan: The MHLW and Consumer Affairs Agency search results I found disagree on the apple figure and don't link to the current limits table, so I'm not giving a number. The Consumer Affairs Agency now sets food pesticide MRLs under the Food Sanitation Act. An MHLW notice dated 19 May 2015 (食安発0519第1号) also turned up for acetamiprid.

Recent EU changes

  • Regulation (EU) 2025/158 (29 January 2025, applying from 19 August 2025) put the 0.07 and 0.08 values in place. EFSA had set a lower ADI and ARfD and added the metabolite IM-2-1 to the residue definition [12].
    • Table grapes: the old limits exceeded the ARfD, so they were cut to lower levels supported by approved use patterns reported by Member States ("fall-back GAPs") [13].
    • Apples: the old limits also exceeded the ARfD. The lowered value is considered safe, but it will be reviewed because some information was missing [14].
  • The apple footnote says residue-trial data are missing and must be submitted by 19 February 2027; otherwise the Commission will review the MRL without them [2].
  • Regulation (EU) 2025/1212 (24 June 2025) dealt with plums, oilseeds, honey and the soyabean CXL [15]. Regulation (EU) 2026/876 was triggered by a honey application [16]. Both acts restated the apple and grape values without changing them.
  • For exporters: the EU limits are now well below the US (1.0 / 0.35 ppm), Codex (0.8 / 0.5) and Korea (0.3 / 2.0). EU limits were originally raised above earlier values to match US use on pome fruit and grapes (Reg. (EU) 978/2011) [17].

Approach: I searched the EU Pesticides Database and the Annex II amending acts on EUR-Lex text, 40 CFR Part 180, the Codex pesticide residue database and the MFDS Food Safety Korea MRL tables. Japanese MRLs aren't in the sources I can search directly, and the official Japanese web results didn't give a consistent value.

I can keep looking for the current Japanese figures, or pull the pre-2025 EU apple and grape values for comparison.

Sources:

SOURCES · 17

  1. [1]Article 2 [32025R0158] · p.1SANTE
  2. [2]MRL: Acetamiprid on Apples (0130010)SANTE
  3. [3]MRL: Acetamiprid on Table grapes (0151010)SANTE
  4. [4]Recital 1 [32026R0876] · p.1SANTE
  5. [5]Recital 6 [32026R0876] · p.1SANTE
  6. [6]Acetamiprid; tolerances for residues. -- Fruit, pome, group 11-10 · p.1EPA
  7. [7]Acetamiprid; tolerances for residues. -- Fruit, small, vine climbing, except fuzzy kiwifruit, subgroup 13-07F · p.1EPA
  8. [8]Acetamiprid on Pome fruits (group) · p.1Codex
  9. [9]Acetamiprid on Grapes · p.1Codex
  10. [10]ap105010011 | P00227 · p.1South Korea
  11. [11]ap105040001 | P00227 · p.1South Korea
  12. [12]Recital 3 [32025R0158] · p.1SANTE
  13. [13]Recital 5 [32025R0158] · p.1SANTE
  14. [14]Recital 6 [32025R0158] · p.1SANTE
  15. [15]Recital 2 [32025R1212] · p.1SANTE
  16. [16]Recital 2 [32026R0876] · p.1SANTE
  17. [17]Recital 10 [32011R0978] · p.1SANTE
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