Archived press release

Latest pesticide results bad news for children

14 March 2002

The latest pesticide residue results released today by the Pesticides Residues Committee [1]show that processed food popular with children such as cereal bars often come with hidden pesticide residues. The Government wants children to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables but today's results also revealed worrying levels of pesticides in fresh fruit. Friends of the Earth released a new report today highlighting the health concerns for babies and children exposed to pesticide residues [2]

Today's results include pesticide residues above legal limits, and in once case levels exceeded the safety limits set for toddlers. Residues over legal limits included organophosphates and pesticides with very strong evidence of being able to disrupt the hormone system:

• 71% of cereal bars contained residues, including Kellogg's Nutri-Grain and Mars Tracker and 28% of breakfast cereals contained residues including Kellogg's Healthwise
• 45% of crisps contained residues, including Walkers crisps and Hula Hoops
• Chlorpyrifos was found over the MRL in starfruit - this organophosphate pesticide has been severely restricted in the US due to concerns about children's health. It has been linked in studies to brain defects in young rats.
  
• Over half of grapes (56%), nearly half (47%) of nectarines, about a third of peaches(32%) contained pesticide residues
• Iprodione, a hormone disrupting pesticides, was found in 29% nectarines, and was also found in kiwi fruit. Carbendazim, also a hormone disrupter was found at levels above the MRL in a mango sample from Sainsburys and dithiocarbamates, also thought to have hormone disrupting properties, were found at levels above the MRL in a mango from Tesco
• 21% of peaches contained the organophosphate pesticide fenitrothion
• The safety level (Acute Reference Dose) for toddlers was exceeded in a sample of nectarines (methamidophos) from Waitrose

Sandra Bell, Pesticides Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

“These results are bad news for children. Foods like cereal bars and crisps, which many children like to eat, were found to contain hidden pesticides. Even more worryingly, is that the very foods which children should be eating more of in the interests of a healthy diet contained pesticides which have been linked to brain damage and hormone disruption - and some were over legal limits. Young children need extra protection from pesticide residues - retailers and food companies have a responsibility to get these dodgy chemicals out of the food that children eat”.

[1] www.pesticides.gov.uk
[2] 'Into the Mouths of Babes' available from FOE press office.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust