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A survey of a range of New Zealand produce has shown generally good pesticide practices were used when growing them.
As part of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority's (NZFSA) food residue surveillance programme (FRSP), fresh, unwashed, capsicum, strawberries, lettuce, mushrooms and courgettes were checked for chemical residue levels.
Although some samples showed residues slightly over permitted thresholds, NZFSA principal adviser (chemicals) Paul Dansted said none of them represented any food safety or health concerns.
The annual FRSP targets between four and eight types of produce with the choice of crop determined by a range of factors.
Dr Dansted said that as the study focused on areas where the authority suspected there might be problems, it was no surprise that non-compliant produce was sometimes found.
"Because the FRSP sets out to probe specific foods, for example those that may be problematic because they are susceptible to attack by pests or disease, it is more likely to identify problems than a purely random survey chosen from all foods.
"We are generally pleased with the result of this survey, but we fully expect that, from time-to-time, we will uncover problems that require corrective action."
Dr Dansted said a dietary intake assessment of this year's samples found the residue levels found in the problem crops posed no health risk to consumers.
- NZPA
