Archived press release

Government pesticide advice

23 June 2000

Friends of the Earth (FOE) today accused the Government of giving “rotten” advice to the public about children eating food with toxic pesticide residues.

Government says that we should peel fruit and vegetables before giving them to children. FOE has said that the advice is “hopelessly misleading” and wants action by Government and retailers to ensure that our food is not contaminated in the first place.

The Government advice, issued by the Chief Medical Officer [1], states that “washing fruit and vegetables is always a sensible precaution to ensure it is clean. Peeling is a matter of consumer choice, but is always a sensible precaution when preparing fruit and vegetables for small children”. Health Minister, Gisela Stuart, has confirmed that the advice is used by Government Departments in responding to inquiries about pesticide residues in food [2].

FOE has criticised the advice for several reasons:

• Many pesticides are systemic. They are taken up by the whole fruit or vegetable and cannot be simply washed or peeled away [3]. Two of the “filthy four” pesticides which FOE wants banned are systemic [4]. Mounting evidence suggests that these pesticides may be harmful to human health even in small amounts.
• The Government contradicts its own advice. A MAFF report on potatoes, which found residues of the pesticide aldicarb above safety levels for infants, concluded that “There was unlikely to be a significant loss of residues from maincrop potatoes as a result of peeling” [5].
• Peeling fruit and vegetables removes fibre and important vitamins, including vitamin C. [6].
• Consumers shouldn't have to peel in the first place. The Government should be doing more to reduce pesticide use so that residues do not appear in our food.

Regulations to be introduced at the end of this month will cut almost to zero pesticide residues in babyfood [7]. FOE wants this limit applied to fresh fruit and veg as well, and also wants the Government to tax pesticide use and to set a target for pesticide reduction. In other European countries such as Sweden and Denmark this approach has led to significant reductions in pesticide use. FOE also wants all supermarkets to listen to their customers, who have shown that they do not want pesticide residues in their food [8].

Sandra Bell. Food campaigner of Friends of the Earth said:

“It's just not good enough for the Government to tell us to peel our fruit and vegetables to be sure they are safe for children. The advice is ineffective - many residues survive peeling. It's shocking - the Government doesn't go out of its way to make sure consumers even know about it. Frankly, it's rotten to the core.

We want effective action to ban the most dangerous pesticides, and to reduce to a minimum all use of pesticides in farming. It's time to follow the lead of some of our European neighbours, and put the health of consumers before the interests of the agro-chemical companies.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The advice, from the Chief Medical Officer was issued in a MAFF news release (83/97) and in a MAFF/DOH Food Safety Information Bulletin for December 1998

[2]Health Minister, Gisela Stuart, confirmed, in an answer to a Parliamentary Question (13th March 2000) that this advice “remains relevant and is used by Government Departments in responding to inquiries about pesticide residues in food”

[3] Over 10% of pesticides are systemic so cannot be peeled away. A “Which?” survey in 1988 showed that“peeling or washing is unlikely to remove very much any systemic pesticide”

[4] Aldicarb and carbendazim are in FOE's list of the “filthy four” pesticides. Aldicarb acts on the nervous system. It is commonly used on potatoes and residues have been detected in potatoes at levels over the safety limit.
Carbendazim is suspected of being a hormone disruptor. It disrupts sperm counts and damages testicular development in animals. It is used widely on fruit and vegetables including on apples, pears and mushrooms.In 1998 nearly a third of UK dessert apples contained carbendazim.

[5] The Pesticide Safety Directorate (1999), Variability of Aldicarb Residues in Potoatoes.

[6] New potatoes boiled in their skins contain more Vitamin C (15mg) than peeled boiled potatoes ( 9 mg). Main crop old potatoes baked in their skins contain more Vitamin C (14 mg) than baked with flesh only (8mg) - MAFF and The Royal Society of Chemistry Vegetables Herbs and Spices, the composition of Foods (4th Edition)

[7[ The EU has set a limit of 0.01mg/kg for all pesticides. The regulations come into effect in England on 30thJune 2000, but will not be enforced until July 2002.

[8] A NOP poll, published by FOE this week, showed that 85% of supermarket customers want pesticide residues removed from supermarket foods. FOE put all the major supermarkets to the test on pesticides, GM foods and organic food. The results - available from FOE - were published in a league table this week.

A Real Food Information Pack is available from FOE on freefone 0808 800 1111
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust