The committee met on March 4 and a Defra source told freshinfo that it discussed washing and peeling of fruit and vegetables, but minutes of the meeting are not expected to be made public for several weeks.

The Food Standards Agency has called on the committee three times to withdraw the advice that produce should be peeled first before being consumed by children. It believes that the advice needs reviewing as its misinterpretation could imply that only organic fruit should be supplied to the National School Fruit Scheme.

But Friends of the Earth said it was 'appalled' at the FSA and wants the agency to insist that produce supplied to schools should be pesticides free and not that safety advice should be relaxed.

FoE believes that revoking the advice would expose children to unacceptable risks citing examples including the discovery of chlormequat in pears three years ago.

But the Fresh Produce Consortium, which has been instrumental in setting up the National School Fruit Scheme denied the risks. 'There is no evidence that the risk [of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables] is unacceptable or that there is a risk at all,' said FPC chief executive Doug Henderson. He said the 'unacceptable risk' is in not eating fruit and vegetables in the first place. 'Children expose themselves to long-term health risks through not eating fruit and vegetables,' said Henderson. 'There is now irrefutable evidence that consumption of fruit and vegetables has a significant effect in reducing incidence of cancer and heart disease.' Henderson also pointed out that chlormequat does not pose a public health risk as it is not toxic and although approved for use elsewhere in the EU is not approved in the UK.