Food Safety Focus (100th Issue, November 2014) – Food Incident Highlight

Pesticide Residues in Vegetable Samples

Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132 CM) came into effect on 1 August 2014, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has taken more than 6 500 food samples at import, wholesale and retail levels for testing of pesticide residues. As of 31 October 2014, 22 vegetable samples were found to contain pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.4%. Such rate of non-compliance compares similarly if not favourably with other places such as Canada, the European Union and the United States.

To safeguard food safety and public health, the CFS will continue taking different food samples for testing under its regular Food Surveillance Programme. As for consumers, they can take additional measures to minimise the health risks posed by consumption of vegetables containing pesticide residues.