Three samples of vegetables and fruits tested for pesticide residues in Taipei City failed

The Taipei City Health Bureau announced the results of the August random inspection of pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables. A total of 76 products were found, and three products, including Irving mango, A vegetable, and cantaloupe, were found to contain insecticides and fungicides that did not meet regulations, with a failure rate of 3.95%.

The Taipei City Health Bureau randomly sampled one piece of Irving mango and found that it contained 0.15 ppm of the undetectable pesticide "Taosin" and is currently actively tracing the source manufacturer. (Photo courtesy of Taipei City Health Bureau)

Chen Liqi, director of the Food and Drug Administration of the Taipei City Health Bureau, said that in August, out of the 76 samples of fresh fruits and vegetables sampled from vegetable and fruit retailers, supermarkets, hypermarkets, wholesale markets, and organic fruit and vegetable stores in Taipei City, 15 were organic fruit and vegetable products and all met the regulations. Among the other 61 general vegetable and fruit products, 17 were found to contain pesticide residues, of which 14 were found to have levels within the limit of the "Safety Permissible Amount Standard for Pesticide Residues", complying with regulations.

The three non-compliant products include: a piece of Irwin mango sampled from a fruit stall on Section 3, Bade Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, was found to contain the insecticide "Tausong" at 0.15ppm (this item is not allowed to be detected according to regulations); a piece of A vegetable sampled from the fresh fruit and vegetable section of a department store on Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, was found to contain the fungicide "Daikeli" at 0.52ppm (this item is not allowed to be detected according to regulations) and Pukeli at 0.25ppm (the standard must be below 0.03ppm); a piece of cantaloupe sampled from a chain fresh food store on Fumin Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, was found to contain the fungicide "Benclon" at 0.03ppm (the standard must be below 0.01ppm).

Chen Liqi said that for unqualified products, the Taipei City Health Bureau not only requires local businesses to remove the products from shelves and recall them, and not to sell them, but also imposes a fine of not less than NT$60,000 and not more than NT$6 million on local manufacturers for violating Article 11, Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the Food Sanitation Management Act. In addition, if the source manufacturer is in other counties or cities, the case has been referred to the health bureau under the jurisdiction of the source for investigation.

The Department of Health calls on farmers to comply with relevant laws when using pesticides when growing vegetables and fruits. At the same time, it reminds the public that in order to reduce the possible intake of pesticide residues in vegetables, it is recommended to remove the outer leaves when washing vegetables, rinse the roots of the vegetables with water first to remove the mud and sand, remove the roots, soak them in water for 10 to 20 minutes, and then rinse them with running tap water 2 to 3 times, which can help remove residual pesticides.

In addition, the general public can also reduce pesticide residues by cooking and choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables. When cooking, leaving the pot lid open can also help pesticides evaporate with the steam.