The latest results from the Pesticide Residues Committee’s (PRC) programme of pesticide residue testing in fruit and vegetables supplied to school children in the Autumn 2007 term show that none of the samples tested contained pesticide residues above the legal trading level.
Dr Ian Brown, chairman of the PRC, said: "The results should reassure parents that the fruit and vegetables their children eat continues to be safe. I cannot emphasise more strongly that the positive effects of eating fresh fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced healthy diet far outweigh any concern about pesticide residues."
Tests carried out on 58 samples of six different fruit and vegetables showed that 16 samples did not contain any detectable residues, and 42 contained residues within the legal trading level, the maximum residue level (MRL). None of the samples tested contained pesticide residues above the MRL. Risk assessments concluded that the residues detected were unlikely to affect the health of children eating the produce.
Dr Brown continued: "None of the results in the Autumn Term gave the PRC any concern for consumer health. They show that these fruit and vegetables supplied to school children either do not contain detectable residues or where residues are found they are in accordance with legal limits."
The PRC is an independent adviser to government, the Food Standards Agency and the Pesticides Safety Directorate. It carries out the SFVS testing to check that the fruit being given to school children is safe in respect of pesticide residues.
The MRL, or maximum residue level, is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue - expressed as milligrams per kilogram, or parts per million - legally permitted in or on our food and animal feeds. The levels are not safety limits, but are set at levels which protect the consumer. They are primarily a check that good agricultural practice is being followed, and an MRL exceedance does not automatically imply a hazard to health.
The full report ‘School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme Autumn 2007 Term’ is available online at www.pesticides.gov.uk/prc.asp?id=826
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