Food monitoring is a system of repeated representative examinations, measurements and evaluations of levels of undesirable substances, such as plant protection products, heavy metals and other contaminants, in and on food. In the period between 1995 to 2002, more than 36,000 samples were examined for residues of plant protection products and different contaminants.

By means of the results obtained in connection with representative amounts consumed, the consumers' possible intake of these undesirable substance is estimated and described with regard to the degree of occupation of the toxicologic reference values. For plant protection products and persistent organochlorine compounds, the intake in percent of the tolerable daily intake (ADI value) is very low. It lies a about one percent. The only exposition to be mentioned could be noticed in the case of fungicidal dithiocarbamates. The contamination with mycotoxins (mould fungi) has to be seen more critical because partially, it reached up to 83 percent of the ADI value. In this context, a reduction has to be achieved by a further improvement of harvesting, processing, conservation and storage conditions of the foods. The intake quantities of nitrate and heavy metals lay in the range of 6 to 40 percent of the reference values.