Most fruit and veggies now pesticide free?


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May 30, 2005

Food For Thought

Remember your mother?s old warnings about washing off that apple to get rid of the pesticides? If the results of a new study are correct, it could be that mom was wrong.

Government figures show the residue of what?s sprayed on crops in Canada to keep them safe from insects is at its lowest level in years ? and many of the fruits and vegetables have no detectable amounts at all.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency data from 2004 indicates 99 percent of all the products tested were within the limits set by Health Canada. And 80 percent of fresh foods and 90 percent of processed foods had no pesticide traces at all.

According to Croplife Canada, which released the numbers, the real problem isn?t what?s sprayed on your food but what?s stuck in your head.

It cites a Pollara poll from last February showing 77 percent of all Canadians still believe pesticide use on food is hazardous to their health.

And it suggests the results of their survey prove that isn?t true. ?There's a huge disconnect between perception and reality,? claims group spokesman Peter MacLeod in a statement. ?And that's unfortunate because people are concerned about something that the government's own inspection data shows we really don't need to worry about.

"Almost 100 percent of all foods sold in Canada, whether domestically grown or imported, are at or below the limit for trace amounts of pesticides established by Health Canada.?

But some environmentalists aren?t so sure about the study, noting pesticides are poison ? and that no amount is really safe. They worry that the substances can make their way into the ground and eventually back into our bodies.

And they also point out CropLife Canada has a vested interest in making its point. It?s run by the very people who manufacture the substances that get sprayed on our foods.

Pesticides in Food

(Figures from Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2004)

MRL=Maximum Residue Limit

Fresh Domestic Foods:

No detectable trace: 79.4%

Below MRL: 19.9%

Above MRL: 0.7%

Fresh Imported Foods:

No detectable trace: 80.7%

Below MRL: 18.8%

Above MRL: 0.5%

Processed Domestic Foods:

No detectable trace: 93.9%

Below MRL: 6.1%

Above MRL: Nil

Processed Imported Foods:

No detectable trace: 97.5%

Below MRL: 2.5%

Above MRL: 0.3%

http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050530-005/page.asp

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