The Poison and the Dose
The debate about threshold values for chemical residues in water and food is often shaped by misunderstandings and emotions. Few topics show as clearly how far perception and science can drift apart. But what do limit values really mean? In autumn 2025, the Agricultural Policy Podcast and swiss-food.ch will explore our relationship with limits and risk in a five-part series. The highlight will be a live podcast recording on November 5 at Bogen F in Zurich.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Limit values are intended to protect society from excessive exposure to potentially harmful substances. Thanks to advances in analytics, even the tiniest traces can now be detected. This often leads to differing interpretations of measurement results and their significance. The line between honest education, alarmism, and trivialization is a fine one.
It’s the dose that makes the poison – for both natural and synthetic substances. Residues alone do not indicate danger. At the same time, «natural» substances enjoy enormous trust, even when they can be toxic – mushroom toxins are a prime example.
How difficult it is to strike a balance between safety-mindedness and practical reason is aptly summed up by Roman Mazzotta, Country Head of Syngenta Switzerland: «One of the most dangerous things you can do is drive a car. There are distance regulations: on the motorway, the required distance to the next car is 60 metres. That’s the ‘limit value’. For chemical substances that are neither DNA-damaging nor carcinogenic, a hundredfold safety margin is added to that limit value. Translated to road traffic, that would mean keeping a distance of six kilometres from the next car.»
In five engaging episodes, experts from toxicology, industry, government, and agriculture discuss what safety really means and the role that limit values play.
The podcast series
October 11 – Dr. Angela Bearth
The Agricultural Policy Podcast with Dr. Angela Bearth on perceived dangers and real risks. Angela Bearth holds a PhD in Social and Health Psychology from the University of Zurich and works as a senior social scientist at the Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (University of Basel).
Here is Episode 1 with Dr. Angela Bearth (translated with AI)
October 18 – Dr. Lothar Aicher
The agricultural policy podcast with Dr Lothar Aicher on residues in our everyday lives. Lothar Aicher is a chemist who initially worked in pharmaceutical research and later in the chemical/agricultural industry as a human safety assessment manager. Since 2010, he has been working as a toxicologist at SCAHT (Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology).
Here is Episode 2 with Dr. Lothar Aicher (translated with AI)
October 25 – Dr. Michael Beer
The agricultural policy podcast with Dr Michael Beer on reports and warnings from the authorities. Michael Beer studied food engineering and obtained his doctorate at the Institute of Human Nutrition at ETH Zurich. Since 2014, he has been head of the Food and Nutrition Division of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and is deputy director of the FSVO.
Here is Episode 3 with Dr. Michael Beer (translated with AI)
November 1st – Christine Badertscher
The agricultural policy podcast with National Councillor Christine Badertscher on the political debate surrounding the setting of limit values. Christine Badertscher grew up on a farm in the Emmental region. She studied environmental engineering in Wädenswil and agricultural sciences at the HAFL. She has been a National Councillor for the Green Party in the canton of Bern since 2019.
The grand finale
November 5 – Live Podcast at Bogen F, Zurich from 6:00 p.m.
The Poison and the Dose
Big Panic Over Small Numbers?
The grand finale will be a live event where experts, consumer advocates, and industry representatives debate the meaning of safety and regulation. The event will be moderated by Andreas Wyss, host of the Agricultural Policy Podcast.
The Agrarpolitik podcast is available on all major platforms. Click here to see the overview. Here you can listen to the latest episodes.
Kindly note:
We, a non-native editorial team value clear and faultless communication. At times we have to prioritize speed over perfection, utilizing tools, that are still learning.
We are deepL sorry for any observed stylistic or spelling errors.
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