On 13 July 2007, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) purchased eight fruit items from the GB Express supermarket in the European Parliament building, Brussels. These food samples, which included strawberries, apricots, oranges, apples, pears and three bunches of grapes, were then analyzed for the presence of pesticide residues.
Most of the food items tested were produced in the European Union (EU). The strawberries were grown in Belgium, the oranges were from Spain, two bunches of grapes were from Italy and both the apple and the pear were from France. One bunch of grapes was grown in Egypt. The origin of the apricots was unspecified.
In total the eight food samples were found to be contaminated with 28 different pesticide residues, averaging almost five residues per fruit. These chemicals included ten known carcinogens, three neurotoxins, three reproductive or developmental toxins and eight suspected endocrine disruptors. Two of contaminants are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being ‘Highly Hazardous’. None of the food items was uncontaminated.
Three of the eight food samples analyzed (apricot, grapes, orange) contained pesticide residues in excess of EC Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) – thus rendering their sale illegal. The apricot contained excessive levels of a suspected endocrine disruptor, one bunch grapes showed illegal amounts of a known carcinogen, and the oranges were contaminated with elevated concentrations of two different pesticides, both linked with cancer and reproductive or developmental toxicity.
With 14 different pesticide residues, the strawberries contained by far the highest diversity of agrochemical contaminants. The oranges showed illegally high levels of imazalil – a known carcinogen – substantially in excess (40% above) of the established ‘Acceptable Daily Intake’ (ADI) for a five year old toddler, who would also receive 70% of the ‘Acute Reference Dose’ (ARfD) by eating just one orange.
While the investigation revealed substantial levels of pesticide contamination, the findings reflect previous analyses of the EU food chain. Of the 60,450 food samples included within the European Commission’s 2006 pesticides monitoring report, 40% were shown to contain pesticide residues, with an additional 3% containing levels in excess of EC MRLs. In total some 324 different pesticides were identified within the EU food chain, with some items containing as many as 8 different contaminants. Even baby foods showed significant levels of pesticide residues.
Six of the pesticide residues detected in our analysis are listed among those most often found in coordinated food monitoring programs in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Of these chemicals, four are known carcinogens, three are suspected endocrine disruptors, two are reproductive or developmental toxins and one is neurotoxic.
GB Express supermarket in the European Parliament building is part of the GB Express supermarket chain, which belongs to Carrefour Belgium, the largest Belgian trader with 560 supermarkets throughout Belgium. Carrefour Belgium is part of the Carrefour Group, Europe’s biggest distributer, operating over 12,500 stores worldwide, either company-operated or franchises. Within this figure, Carrefour’s European portfolio includes 638 hypermarkets, 4450 hard discount stores, 2,508 supermarkets and 3,154 convenience stores.
The presence of high levels of pesticide residues in food grown in the EU is a direct result of reliance on pesticides in EU agriculture. Every year over 200,000 tons of pesticides are released into the European environment; mostly in food production. Many of these chemicals and in particular insecticides, harm not only the pest species they are intended to control, but have the potential to cause substantial damage to human health. Over the past decade the EU’s consumption of insecticides has more than doubled. All of the EU’s 10 most used insecticides are classified as hazardous.
Evidence relating to the negative health impacts of pesticide exposure is mounting rapidly. Findings reported at the European Respiratory Society annual meeting of 2007 show that adults in contact with pesticides face a higher risk of developing respiratory problems. An EU study on Parkinson’s disease found low level exposure may increase the chances of developing the condition. Scientists in Canada have found evidence linking pesticides with cancer, including leukaemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
While EU food safety regulations set Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs), these standards fail to take any account of the long-term impacts of pesticide residues, or known combinational effects associated with multiple simultaneous exposure. Furthermore, EU MRLs are consistently out of synch with recognized ‘Acceptable Daily Intake’ (ADI) and ‘Acute Reference Dose’ (ARfD) levels, thus posing a considerable risk to the EU public and in particular to children.
In the plenary session of October 2007, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have the opportunity to influence the creation of legislation relating to the authorisation, sale and use of pesticides in the EU. The evidence presented in this report provides a compelling case for immediate action. MEPs have a responsibility to provide greater protection for human health by supporting measures aimed at removing pesticide residues from the European food chain.