The benefits of eating fruit and vegetables far outweigh concerns over pesticide residues, Pesticides Residues Committee chairman Ian Brown has insisted, following publication of his organisation’s annual report.

The report found traces of pesticides in 70 per cent of samples of free fruit and veg destined for schoolchildren, it emerged in national press reports yesterday.

But out of 138 samples of apples, bananas, carrots, cucumbers, pears, strawberries, tomatoes and soft citrus fruits analysed, pesticide traces above maximum residue levels (MRLs) were only found in one apple. In 97 samples, residues were either at or below the MRL.

Some 70 samples contained more than one residue, but the carrots and cucumbers sampled were completely residue free.

The department of health told the national press it worked with suppliers to ensure pesticide minimisation programmes were in place, and apples from the supplier who provided the sample classed as a health risk were no longer used.

The committee concluded in its report that none of the residues was likely to harm schoolchildren’s health, according to a spokeswoman. “The results from [the school fruit and vegetable scheme] are not unexpected, as low-level residues are frequently found, particularly in fruit,” she said.

But Nick Mole of the Pesticide Action Network told national press: “Given that children are more susceptible to being affected by toxic substances, I find it alarming and slack that this is deemed acceptable.”

Overall, more than a third of the food and drink products tested in the UK last year contained chemical traces, and 1.7 per cent - 60 out of 3,562 surveyed - of these contained residues above maximum limits. The report insisted only a “very small percentage” of samples had levels which could be classed a health risk.

Items with chemical traces above the MRL were all fruit and veg, aside from one sample of flour. But Brown said that although such levels were illegal, they did not necessarily pose a health risk, and full risk assessments had been carried out in those cases.

“Nearly all the residues we found were not likely to affect people’s health,” said Brown. Scientific evidence showed the health benefits of eating five portions of fruit and veg a day far outweighed concerns about residues, he added.

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