Two of the most common quality labels seen in Thailand are for
"certified organic" and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).
The
Department of Agriculture is trying to defend its quality
controls after lab tests
that showed dangerous pesticide residue
in many samples of vegetables and
fruits.
The Department of Agriculture (DOA) insists it has imposed
The Department of Agriculture (DOA) insists it has imposed
strict
measures to check on chemical residues in vegetables
and fruits before granting
them Good Agricultural Practice
(GAP) and organic product certifications.
The department made the statement Thursday
after a food
safety survey conducted by the Thai-Pesticide Alert Network
(Thai-Pan) showed that more than half the fruits and
vegetables awarded the government's "Q mark" for
quality were
found to be highly contaminated with chemical residues.
The GAP certification is given after a
chemical safety check is
performed on produce at farms and orchards while the Q
mark
is issued before the produce is sold to consumers.
The Thai-Pan survey was conducted on 138 samples of popular
The Thai-Pan survey was conducted on 138 samples of popular
fruits and
vegetables in greater Bangkok, Chiang Mai and
Ubon Ratchathani from March
16-18. Samples were sent
to a lab in the United Kingdom for examination using a
multi-residue
pesticide screen method to test for 450 substances.
The
overall results showed 46.6% of samples contained residues
higher than the
accepted safety standard.
Notably, 57% of fruits and vegetables
granted the Q mark by
the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and
Food
Standards (ACFS), were found to have unsafe
levels of contaminants.
Also, 25% of the products certified as being organic, which
Also, 25% of the products certified as being organic, which
were supposed to be
free of chemicals, were found to contain
chemical residues exceeding accepted
standards.
It showed that 100% of red chillies had
harmful residues
exceeding standards, followed by basil and long beans (66.7%),
Chinese kale (55.6%), Chinese cabbage (33.3%),
morning glory (22.2%), and
tomatoes and cucumbers (11.1%).
However, 100% of non-Chinese cabbage samples
were free
of contaminants.
For fruits, all of the tested oranges and guava were
contaminated
with harmful residues exceeding standards.
About
71% of dragon fruit, 66% of papayas and
44% of nam dokmai mangoes had residues.
Watermelons were free of harmful residues.
The survey results later went viral
on social media and frightened
the public. Some say high chemical residue
levels in those crops
can pose health risks and even cause cancer.
The DOA said
in its statement Thursday that before GAP
certification is issued, farmers are
required to submit information
about their crops to the department. If the
department finds
contamination in the produce, farmers are given a deadline to
solve the problem.
If they fail to rectify the issue, they will
be denied the
certification.
The
department said the Thai-Pan survey, although negative to
the produce
certification, helps raise public awareness of
the issue.
The DOA will also trace back contaminated vegetables and fruits
The DOA will also trace back contaminated vegetables and fruits
found in the
Thai-Pan survey to the farmland they originated on.
The DOA also said it has confiscated pesticides which were
The DOA also said it has confiscated pesticides which were
illegally smuggled
into the country over the past several years.
Last year, several suspects were
arrested and charged with
possessing methomyl,paclobutrazol and methyl eugenol used for
producing pesticides.
News,General,Bangkok Post,6 May 2016.
News,General,Bangkok Post,6 May 2016.
After reading a food safety
survey conducted by the
Thai-Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-Pan) results
,
we (my group friends who have knowledge how to grow vegetables
and fruits) are very
confused about the results show for they are
contrast to the
fact of how the fruit gardeners use chemical with
their prouducts.
However ,today,Mr Somchai Channarongkul,Director-General
of the Department of
Agriculture (DOA) also said the misleading
results due to the number of the sampling by Thai-Pan
which
is too small (138 sample from Thai-Pan compare to
5,000-6,000
samples from DOA) to represent the results show.
Sincerely Yours.
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