1,4Sight can limit French fries export

The ball started rolling on social media when potato growers were confronted with price increases for the product this season. There is a real run on 1,4Sight across Europe. After the ban on CIPC - from this storage season - 1,4Sight is the most cost-effective and practical alternative for most growers. An increase in the sales price is especially bad during this difficult potato season. There is therefore an emotional response.

Admitted for 25 years
"Although the production of 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene - the active substance of 1,4Sight - has been significantly scaled up, it remains to be seen whether there is sufficient product available in Europe," says BASF food chain manager Eric Kiers. In the Netherlands, among other places, BASF is the exclusive selling party of the drug, which has its origins in the United States and has been authorized there for 25 years.

The effect of the potato's own substance 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4DMN) is not unknown and has been studied since the 80s. The American 1.4Group developed a series of germination inhibitors based on 1,4DMN, which was brought to Europe in the early 2000s. The license holder in the European Union is Dormfresh from the United Kingdom. As a 'reporting member state', the Netherlands has investigated the product and assessed it positively. It has been available in our country since 2015, after which most other Member States followed. Only the United Kingdom does not allow 1,4Sight. The admission procedure is still ongoing there.

BASF is aware of the stories that are now circulating about the drug and its use. These are rumors that are untrue, the company said. Thanks to social media such as Twitter, they quickly take on a life of their own. The company acknowledges that a price increase has been implemented, although BASF makes no statements about this, Kiers said. "Due to competition law, we cannot say anything about this. It is up to the distributors to determine the sales price. If people have questions, it is best to contact their advisor.

In Belgium, BASF has sent a letter stating that a shortage of 1,4Sight is expected. There are indications in our country that sufficient product is available, but that depends on a number of factors. We will only have a real insight into this in the course of 2021." There is also an acute shortage in other countries, according to insiders from Poland, for example.

No specific MRL
Kiers confirms that many countries outside the EU do not have a specific MRL for 1,4DMN. "When a product is not registered in a country, the minimum detection limit of 0,01 mg/kg is automatically applied, which applies to all products without registration. Because 1,4DMN occurs naturally in the potato, you can find the product. What 1,4 What 1,4Sight does is retain the 1,4DMN level in the peel, so that natural germination inhibition is achieved. A residue study cannot show whether this concerns naturally occurring 1,4DMN or a synthetically produced product, as in XNUMXSight. the products are identical."

For 1,4DMN, the EU uses an MRL of 15 mg/kg product. That is well above what is measured in practice, Kiers knows. "The agent is mainly in the peel. Because most potato products are peeled, you have largely lost the agent. In addition, a large part has already evaporated from the peel, but also during the processing process. After the processing process, little or no 1,4DMN is released. more have been found. However, we cannot guarantee that the end product will always reach an MRL of 0,01 mg/kg - also because this is a potato-specific substance."

Industry organization Vavi does not explicitly say which export destinations outside the EU apply the detection limit. "In principle, all countries without authorization for 1,4Sight apply the detection limit," says Kiers. BASF and Vavi say they are working hard on import tolerances for 1,4DMN, together with the license holder. This must be requested per country. Quite a paper mill that – depending on the country – can take several months or even years. Because 1,4Sight will be used extensively throughout Europe this season, there is a greater chance that the product will come to the attention of buyers of fries and other potato products.

Processor surprised
Whether this will happen remains to be seen. The parties involved remain sober about it. Parties from the Netherlands have been treated with 5DMN for 1,4 years, which has never caused any problems before. "Processors are surprised about the MRLs," Vavi chairman Hylke Brunt said when asked. "VAVI and individual processors did not have a clear enough focus on this subject. Applying for import tolerances is not easy. We are working hard on it together. The file now has our full attention. We hope that the European MRL of 15 mg/kg will countries over the line."

Brunt is clear about the safety of the product: "EFSA has looked at the product and granted an authorization. You can then assume that the product is safe to use. If processors choose to provide field employees with additional personal protective equipment, then that is your own choice." Kiers understands why processors handle sheds that have been treated with extra care, regardless of the product used. "The label of 1,4Sight contains a re-entry instruction. After administration, the storage must be closed for two days. There must then be brief ventilation with outside air, after which the cell can be entered as usual. An employee of the chip factory does not know always check whether a treatment with a storage product has already taken place, how long ago this was and whether it has already been ventilated with outside air. Hence the extra protection."

Bad timing
Possible export restrictions are hitting potato processors hard, insiders report. One potato trader says that he has been approached by a factory with the request to map the potato warehouses that are not treated with 1,4Sight. These can then be kept separate for sensitive destinations.

The topic could not have come at a worse time for processors, who are trying to get their sales back on track. If we look at the chip export figures outside the EU, it is mainly destinations in the Middle East, South America and Asia where disruptions may occur. They account for 20% to 25% of total global European fries sales.