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6 Spanish peppers: under close observation Belgian lettuce: scores badly GERMAN RETAIL CHAIN REWE’S 2010 REPORT ON RESIDUES IN CONVENTIONALLy-GROWN FRUIT AND VEGETABLES PAINTS A HOPEFUL PICTURE OF THE FRESH PRODUCE ON THE MARKET BUT ALSO POINTS OUT WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE. By Uwe Schwießelmann uwe@fyh.es The report, commissioned by Rewe and elaborated and drawn up by the Austrian environmental organization GLOBAL 2000, interprets the results of over 7,250 analyses (of over 100 different fruits and vegetables from 61 countries of origin) and has been published last August. The enormous amount of data gathered in the report show that for the last few years the general situation regarding pesticide residues F&H International 1 • November 2011 Focal Point has been constantly improving with respect to both acute and chronic health risks. The calculation of the former was based on the WHO values of the ARfD (Acute Reference Dose): For all products included in the report, the percentage of samples that exceed the ARfD has been constantly sinking from 1.71 per cent in 2007 to 0.21 per cent in 2010. To measure the chronic health risks, socalled “PRP” limits (significantly lower than the legal residue limits) were established: the ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake; mg per kilogramm body weight) multiplied by 13.5. The contamination level (CL) of a sample was indicated by the percentage of the concentration found in proportion to the corresponding PRP value; multiple residues (several agents per sample) were accounted for by adding the respective percentages. Decrease CL. Over the last years, the average CL for all analyzed fruits and vegetables has decreased from 117% in 2007 to 58% in 2010. A closer look at particular product groups shows, for example, that the CL of cherries, 42% in 2010, was an amazing 740% just one year before; the contamination level of peaches has been permanently going down from 130 per cent in 2007 to 58 per cent three years later; a similar evolution has been re- corded for cucumbers (from 53% to 19%); apples (36%) and tomatoes (31%), too, have improved with regard to their CL values of 2009, 60 and 45 per cent, respectively. However, it’s not all beer and skittles. For example, there is a 2009-2010 increase in the CL values of all citrus subgroups, except lemons. The same is true for pears. Peaches may have a lower CL than ever, but they also are the product group with the highest incidence when it comes to residues that exceed the ARfD: 1.6%, the highest value since 2007. And even though the product groups without any residues above the ARfD have gone up to 22 (of 30), 1.57% of grapefruit, pomelos or limettas, 1.26 per cent of all lemons, and 0.7% of oranges we consume are still considered an acute health risk. And then there is Belgian lettuce … (s. above).
The number of samples taken of every product depend on the potential health risks it may pose to consumers. A look at the top of the ranking of samples per product identifies a few of the notorious problem childs: peppers, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries. Especially the figures for lettuce deserve a closer look. Lettuce. Lettuce (‘butterheads’, i.e. leaving out Iceberg lettuce, rucola, Romaine lettuce, etc.) turned out to be the most problematic of all product groups included in the report. In particular, lettuce from Belgium is one of no more than two vegetables (besides Greek rucola) where the authors of the report go as far as to explicitely recommend to look for alternative origins. In 2010, Rewe commissioned analyses of 491 lettuce samples, the big majority of these from Germany (285). Two (Belgian) samples exceeded ARfD values, 133 contained residues in concentrations that added up to aggregate PRP values of at least 200%; of these, in 89 cases individual residues exceeded (by at least 100%) the corresponding PRP value. The average CL was 226%; the highest CL value, found in Belgian lettuce, was 4621%. Not a single sample from Belgium was among the 63 (13%) found to contain no residues at all. Instead, all Belgian lettuce samples contained residues of at least two different agents, and in 75% of all samples from that origin, the number of active substances was between five and twelve; the average CL amounted to 497%. (German lettuce, compared to Belgian exports, performed clearly better: an average CL of 59 per cent; no residues above ARfD values; 21% of samples were residue-free; only 20% of samples contained more than four active substances.) The report points out that, for all origins, there is an important difference between the summer season (fewer residues and nonconformities) and winter, when the conditions are equally adverse to lettuce growing all over Europe which is why the origin cannot really account for the big differences between countries. Apart from recommending to substitute Belgium for other origins, the report points out that frequent sampling and screening of lettuce from all origins, especially in winter, must be given top priority. Acute vs. chronic health risks. Of course, any fruit or vegetable that contains a residue higher than the ARfD and therefore poses an immediate risk to consumers, is unacceptable, and growers, traders, and retailers have to look for ways to identify and eliminate these products from the shelves. That is why several product groups (peaches, citrus, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.) have to be kept under close observation. At the same time, professionals must not forget the chronic health risks inherent in fruits and vegetables that do not stand out for deviations from ARfD values or the accepted contamination levels. To get a realistic picture of the contribution of every single product to the total amount contamination level all fruit and vegetables (average % of aggregate PRP) ARfD incompliances (%) Acute health risk (all fruit and vegetables; 2007 = 100) Chronic (consumptionrelated) health risk (all fruit and vegetables; 2007 = 100) Focal Point Health Safety on the Rise of residues the average consumer ingests, the average consumption quantities 1 per product have to be taken into account. This is how we can see that in 2010 (at least for consumers who shop their groceries at Rewe’s) the first source of ingested residues really was potatoes, followed by apples (both 0 ARfD incompliances), oranges, and tomatoes. This fact has to be taken into account when priorities are set. (1) The consumption quantities used include processed food products, that is to say the fresh produce equivalent, which in some cases may account for a high proportion of the total (potatoes, tomatoes). 2007 2008 2009 2010 117 89 89 58 1.71 1.04 0.58 0,21 100 60 34 12 100 79 71 58 Source: Rewe Group Köln. F&H International 1 • November 2011 7
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