OG Note: The following is not reassuring for two reasons. One, the climate in Britain does not permit as many pests and diseases to flourish as does, e.g., the US climate, therefore fewer and lower quantities of pesticides are needed. Two, Brits are far more sensitive to the issue of adulterated food and farmers are (generally) more ethical. If these levels are found in food in British supermarkets, I hate to think what a similar study would find in US food.

ET

Supermarket samples exceed pesticide limits

LEVELS of pesticides over legal limits were found in samples bought at Asda, Co-op, Safeway, Somerfield and Morrisons stores, the government's pesticides residues committee said yesterday.

Overall, 56 per cent of lettuces sampled contained residues, with multiple residues in 42 per cent. A sample of British pears from Sainsbury's was found to contain chlormequat, a pesticide not approved for use here. Residues of pesticides exceeding legal limits were found in five samples of British lettuces.

The results also showed that 26 per cent of Spanish cucumbers contained pesticide residues and 23 per cent of plums. A Maff spokesman described the overall results as "reassuring" and added that 79 per cent of samples were free of residues, 20 per cent were below Maximum Residue Limits and only one per cent above the MRL.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001