Slow progress on pesticide residues

The Government's latest pesticide residue results show that little progress has been made in reducing pesticide residues in our food, despite retailers' and food companies claims that they are working to reduce them. Parents will be particularly concerned to learn that residues in samples of infant food exceeded legal limits. Friends of the Earth is calling for stricter enforcement of infant food legislation, designed to keep infant food free of harmful residues.

Samples of Farley's rusks (now made by Heinz) were found to contain pesticide residues above new legal limits. Parents should be confident that food for young children is free of pesticides.

The Government also comes under criticism for failing yet again to tackle the problem of residues in lettuce, and finding alternatives to organophosphate pesticides. Although the Pesticide Residue Committee (PRC) admits that there has been "some misuse of pesticides, particularly fungicides, on winter lettuce" lettuces still contain residues that exceed safety levels for toddlers.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board is due to discuss its pesticide residue reduction plan later this month. These results show that the Government needs to put significant resources into finding alternatives to pesticides to meet their aims of pesticide reduction. The results did show that leeks and milk are free of pesticide residues, and UK carrots were almost clear of residues after past concerns about organophosphorus pesticide residues.

"These results show a pathetic lack of progress from retailers, food companies and Government in tackling toxic residues in our food," Friends of the Earth's Pesticides Campaigner, Sandra Bell. "Particularly worrying is the failure by a major manufacturer like Heinz to comply with new legislation aimed at protecting infants' health. The authorities should urgently consider legal action for breaching the regulations. Manufacturers must clean up their supply chains to ensure that infants are not exposed to unacceptable levels of pesticide levels".

Significant findings from today's report include:

Overall 40 per cent of fruit and vegetables tested contained residues, 16 per cent contained residues of more than one pesticide. Four samples contained residues that are not approved for use in the UK, one sample of pear containing two different non-approved pesticides.
DDT has been found in a sample of Co-op UK beef mince. The metabolites found could indicate recent use of DDT, rather than environmental contamination which is more usual. DDT has been banned in the UK since 1986, so it is assumed that the contamination could have come from animal feed.
Two UK lettuce samples from Asda and Sainsbury contained levels above the legal limit. The highest of these, from Asda, was found to exceed the Acute Reference Dose for toddlers, eroding safety margins.
One sample of Brazilian melon from Asda contained two different pesticides above legal limits, and a Spanish melon from Sainsbury contained heptenophos (an organophosphate) at twice the Acute Reference Dose for toddlers. However, it was assumed that the majority of the residue is likely to be on the peel.
Three samples of US peaches, from Marks & Spencer and Tesco, contained methomyl above UK legal limits, the highest of which was nearly two times the Acute Reference Dose for toddlers.
Chlorpropham levels also caused concern in potatoes, with the highest level in a sample from Tesco containing 2.2 times the Acute Reference Dose for infants, causing an erosion of safety factors. An MRL has not yet been set for this pesticide.
Spinach again exceeded safety levels for toddlers, with Spanish spinach containing 4.6 times the Acute Reference Dose for methomyl.
Three samples of Farley's rusks contained pesticide residues exceeding the MRL, one containing two different pesticides.