Illegal pesticide levels in lettuce

31 May 2001



Illegal pesticide levels in lettuce

By Donald MacPhail

BRITISH lettuces contain chemical levels which exceed legal limits and are not approved for UK use, say government pesticide watchdogs.

The Pesticides Residue Committee said it was “concerned” at the findings of its tests on 36 lettuce samples as part of its pesticides surveillance programme.

Tests 17 UK and 19 imported samples for sale in shops detected residues in 20 (56%) of samples with multiple residues were found in 15 (42%).

The quarterly report for July to September 2000, found residues exceeding maximum residue levels (MRL) in six — five of them British.

One British lettuce tested contained eight different pesticide residues including dimethoate, which is not approved for UK use.

Lettuce samples with levels of pesticides over legal limits were found in Asda, Co-op, Safeway, Somerfield and Morrisons stores.

Enforcement monitoring of plants taken directly from growers premises suggested that residues were within acceptable measures, said the PSC.

But it added: “There is concern that … the retail surveys have consistently shown a rather different picture with some non-approved UK use apparently continuing together with exceedances of MRLs.”

Tests on 12 UK and 11 imported cucumber samples found no residues in UK cucumbers and low levels in six Spanish samples. None exceeded MRLs.

Residues were detected in 52% of 84 pear samples, and in 23% of 44 plums tested, although in neither case did they exceed.

Analysis of 107 samples of milk found no trace of lindane, which has not been detected since 1995. And no traces of organochlorine pesticides were found in cream.

Bacon was also given the all-clear as tests on 72 samples, including 65 manufactured or packaged in the UK, detected no residues.

Tests on 72 samples of UK manufactured or packaged beef found low-level residues of dieldrin and phosmet in two samples.

The PSC suggested that the presence of dieldrin was probably due to environmental contamination.

While approval for the use of phosmet as a veterinary medicine expired in June 2000, the PSC speculated that its presence indicated carry-over rather than mis-use.

It added that the meat could be from overseas but had been repackaged in the UK.

Friends of the Earth food campaigner Sandra Bell called on the government to help farmers produce pesticide-free food and increase vigilance on imports.

• Letuce pesticides no health risk, FWi, 20 November, 2000
• Illegal pesticides in lettuce, FWi, 18 October, 1999
• Pesticide food sold by supermarkets, FWi, 16 September, 1999
  

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