FOOD SAFETY UNDER SCRUTINY

The Thai Consumers Council is pushing for change after a study revealed alarming pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables

- STORY: SUWITCHA CHAIYONG

Although fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, people are also aware that they may contain harmful residues due to the use of pesticides.

Organised by the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC), the forum "Widespread Crisis Of Toxic Fruits And Vegetables Exceeding Safety Standards In Department Stores And Fresh Markets" revealed that 75% of our fresh produce contains pesticide residue which exceeds the safety standards.

Prokchol Usap of the TCC said via Facebook live they had collected samples in department stores and wholesale markets from 12 provinces and sent them to an ISO 17025 certified lab for residue testing.

"The laboratory tested 419 pesticide residues in the collected samples of fruits and vegetables. The results revealed that 75% of the samples contained residue exceeding standards along with 112 types of pesticide," explained Prokchol.

Most consumers expect supermarkets in department stores to have produce with lower pesticide residue than wholesale markets due to higher prices. However, Prokchol revealed that in recent years, it has been found that fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets have higher pesticide residue levels than those found in the markets. Substances include pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

"These substances vary in hazardous effect, ranging from acute, which most commonly affects the nervous system, to chronic, which may be due to the accumulation of carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds. Some toxic substances can cause sperm damage and infertility such as carbendazim which is commonly found in oranges. Others may disrupt the hormonal and endocrine systems," explained Prokchol.

"In the past, only high doses of these substances were thought to be harmful. However, current research has found that certain substances, such as those that disrupt the hormonal system, can cause health problems if exposed to small, but repeated doses."