Environmental lobby group Greenpeace has called upon food chain stakeholders across the private and public sectors to do more to eliminate the threat of pesticide residues.
In a letter to the trade, Manfred Krautter, head of the agricultural unit at Greenpeace Germany, said that two studies commissioned by the group had uncovered 'alarming results' about active pesticide substances that can pollute food. Mr Krautter said: 'In the best of cases, private and public food monitoring labs detect only half of all active pesticide substances that can pollute our food.'
Mr Krautter said that Greenpeace is asking food chain stakeholders to assist in 'removing all deficits', including supporting pesticide substitution and reduction, reducing the pesticide load in food to below 0.01mg per kg, and collecting and publishing more data on the effects of active pesticides on humans and the environment.
'We ask you to take measures as far as this is within your capabilities, and to support their implementation at all levels of the food chain,' Mr Krautter's letter concluded.
