Thought you were free from pesky pesticides by buying organic vegetables? Think again.
The Consumer Council released test results from 127 vegetable samples — 75 of which were marked organic — which showed nearly half of the samples to have pesticide residue.
SCMP reports that, of the 75 “organic” samples, 28 contained pesticide residue, and 12 were found to contain heavy metals.
Out of the remaining 52 samples that were not marked organic, some 31 were found to have pesticide residue, while six contained heavy metals.
Two samples imported from mainland China — one of which was purportedly “organic” — were found to have levels of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide, which exceed the maximum residue limit. Meanwhile, another two samples — one imported from mainland China, another from the U.S. — were found to have high levels of the heavy metal cadmium. Again, one of the samples was claimed to be “organic”.
The chemical chlorpyrifos was found in excessive levels in samples of French bean and purple sweet potato, both imported from mainland China. Chlorpyrifos is typically used to kill cockroaches, mosquitoes, and flies. It can reportedly lead to acute food poisoning if consumed in large quantities over a short timespan, or cause hormone disruption over a longer period of time.
Cadmium, high amounts of which were found in samples from an “organic” carrot from the U.S. and a flowering Chinese cabbage from mainland China, can cause kidney damage if consumed long-term.
The consumer watchdog suggested that the government introduce regulations for the labelling and definition of organic vegetables, which currently do not exist in Hong Kong.
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