In the cold season, many like to look for fruits and vegetables imported from more distant countries, such as Morocco, Brazil or Turkey. There are often different regulations regarding pesticides, and some fruits even exceed the legal maximum residue level of active ingredients in the EU.
This is demonstrated by a current test by the environmental protection organization Global 2000 and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor. Mangoes, pomegranates, peas and beans were examined.
The result: pesticide residues were found in more than three-quarters of the products. Half of the fruits were subjected to multiple exposures to up to seven different active ingredients. In addition to two exceedances of the legal maximum, the testers also discovered several active ingredients that are banned in the EU.
Worryingly high peaks
Although pesticides can be used in exporting countries, Global 2000 and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor complain that double standards are applied: the EU Commission withdraws approval of active pesticides if the approval authority cannot rule out a risk for consumers or the environment. The EU then fixes the legal maximum values for all products at a minimum value, the so-called limit of quantification (generally 0.01 mg/kg).
According to testers, however, alarming maximum values of up to 10 mg/kg have been set for some foods imported from non-EU countries.
Waltraud Novak, pesticide expert at Global 2000, says: “As part of trade agreements, the EU grants so-called import tolerances to ‘meet international trade requirements’. This means that countries in which these pesticides, which are banned in the EU, are still allowed to export their products to the EU. This means that food containing harmful pesticides, from which the EU ban is intended to protect consumers, can legally end up on European dishes.”
Harmful agent in mangoes
One example is the active ingredient carbendazim found in mangoes. “Carbendazim has been banned in the EU because of its effects on health. It can cause genetic defects, impair fertility and even harm the fetus. But for mangoes, this pesticide has a maximum level of 0.5 mg/kg, i.e. , fifty times above the quantification limit of 0.01 mg”, emphasizes Novak.
Furthermore, there would also be effects in the fruit’s countries of origin, where workers often handle the harmful active ingredients with insufficient protective equipment. “We also found EU-banned pesticides in beans and basil from Kenya,” says Novak.
In a broadcast, Global 2000 and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor call on Health Minister Johannes Rauch to work at EU level to ensure that harmful pesticides do not end up in Austria via diversions.
Both organizations recommend that consumers look for seasonal and regional fruits and vegetables. They are generally less contaminated with pesticides. Novak: “But only organic farming products are really safe, because no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used in organic farming.”