How safe is the fruit and veg on supermarket shelves?

The recent ‘trippy spinach’ contamination incident highlighted, in a quite dramatic way for those affected, the perils of an industrial scale food production system that relies on regulation and enforcement of agricultural practices. In this case a common weed, thornapple (Datura stramonium), was harvested with baby spinach leaves and bagged into salad mixes for consumption by unsuspecting consumers who consequently reported hallucinations.

With such acute effects on consumers, an emergency recall response was rapid and comprehensive, and all of the 190 cases have recovered. But what happens with contaminants that are unnoticeable at consumption, that accumulate gradually in our bodies? Australia’s regulation of chemical use on food crops is a long way behind European standards but it appears we are not even enforcing these.

Whilst the Federal Government runs a survey program that checks for pesticide levels in exports of meat and fruit, it appears that food grown and sold within Australia is far less rigorously scrutinised. The system in place here is known as ‘FreshTest’ and is conducted ‘for industry, by industry’. It operates as a self-test system whereby growers send in samples of their product for testing. A 2013 paper recently released under Freedom of Information laws, showed that an independent study found some startling results – including market strawberries with up to 90 times the maximum residue limit set for the chemical Dimethoate (an organophosphate used to control insects and mites). This chemical has since been heavily restricted, but many others remain permitted for use in Australia.

In order to ensure the safety of the produce you eat there are a couple of things you can do, including buying certified organic produce or shopping at a local farmers market, where you can talk to growers directly about their growing methods. Of course, the ultimate solution is to grow your own fruit and vegies at home, as by doing this you know exactly what has (or hasn’t) been sprayed on the food you eat.

Written by Tim Sansom, Diggers CEO.