Pesticides in food bring health fears (http://www.thestandard.com.hk/)
Chester Yung
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Environmental watchdog Greenpeace warned
of a new public health risk Monday when it
said Hong Kong's two main supermarket
chains - ParknShop and Wellcome - were
selling vegetables containing excessive levels
of pesticides, at least one of them illegal in
the territory.
The group wants the government and
supermarkets to tighten up monitoring. "Intake of excessive amounts of pesticides can
lead to acute intoxication while lengthy exposure can cause chronic poisoning that
affects the reproductive and nervous system," Greenpeace food safety assistant
campaigner Chow Yuen-ping said.
"Many pesticides have been identified as potential carcinogens. Some can be passed
from mother to the fetus during pregnancy, and to infants through breast feeding."
Different pesticides consumed together can create a "cocktail effect" that can multiply
their adverse effects up to a hundred times, Chow said.
Greenpeace collected 55 vegetable samples from the two supermarket chains between
November 2005 and March.
Chow said the findings were "alarming." More than 70 percent of samples collected
contained pesticide residues, and 30 percent exceeded international standards.
Banned pesticides were also found in some samples. In one tomato sample from
ParknShop, five pesticides were found, including Lindane, Chow said. Lindane is a
chemical used to kill lice and was banned in Hong Kong in 1991.
One choi sum sample from a Wellcome store contained 240 times more than the
acceptable European Union standard for levels of pesticide residue. "As Hong Kong's
biggest fresh vegetable retailers, both supermarket chains should make sure their
produce complies with Hong Kong standards and is 100 percent safe for consumers,"
Chow said. "Neither banned pesticides nor excessive pesticide residues are acceptable
in the vegetables we eat."
Peter Johnston, ParknShop general manager of quality, food safety and regulatory
affairs, admitted six of the 28 vegetable samples collected by Greenpeace in his stores
did contain "very low levels of pesticides."
This was due to "environmental contamination primarily from river water used for
irrigation downstream from farms using such pesticides or from adjacent farms"
Johnston wrote in a response to Greenpeace.
One pak choi sample contained a legal pesticide that was "marginally over" the
standard and this was due to "a minor procedural error" in which workers mistakenly
harvested the vegetable two days earlier than allowed after the pesticide had been
applied. "Corrective action has already been taken," he said.
In a separate statement ParknShop criticized Greenpeace Monday for not releasing
results of tests on vegetables sampled at wet markets.
"According to ACNeilsen, over 75 percent of consumers buy vegetables from wet
markets, we feel that Greenpeace is irresponsible to publicly announce only part of
their test results," ParknShop said.
The chain said its tests followed World Health Organization guidelines while
Greenpeace chose to use EU standards. There were discrepancies between the two,
"so it is really about what standards Hong Kong should follow," the chain said.
A Wellcome spokesman said the company had terminated contracts with a
Guangdong supplier of contaminated produce.
Description of the issue
Environmental watchdog Greenpeace warned of a new public health risk Monday
when it said Hong Kong's two main supermarket chains ParknShop and Wellcome
were selling vegetables containing excessive levels of pesticides, at least one of them
illegal in the territory.
Explaining the issue
Vegetables are good for health; people have to take in for every meal as to keep the
body healthy, so vegetables are necessity of people. There is no close substitute for
vegetables and it only takes up a small percentage of people’s expenditure, so the
demand for vegetables is inelastic.
But now, Greenpeace announces that vegetables sold in 2 main supermarkets in Hong
Kong contained excessive levels of pesticides, people lose confidence in buying the
vegetables in supermarkets, and so they will buy vegetables in wet market.
The demand for vegetable in supermarket decreases (D1→D2)
The price of vegetable drops (P1→P2). The quantity transacted drops (Q1→Q2).
The loss in total revenue is larger than the gain in total revenue, total revenue of the
supermarket decreases (see figure 1),
The vegetable in supermarket and the vegetable in wet market are substitutes.
As the demand for vegetable is inelastic
The demand for vegetable in wet market increases (D1→D2)
The price of vegetable rises (P1→P2)
The quantity transacted rises (Q1→Q2)
The gain in TR larger than the loss in TR
The total revenue of vegetables in wet market rises. (See figure 2)
Some people may choose to eat organic food to protect their health.
The vegetable and the organic food (e.g. organic vegetables) are substitutes.
As the demand for organic food increases(D1→D2)
The price of organic food rises(P1→P2)
The quantity transacted rises(Q1→Q2)
The gain in Total revenue is larger than the loss in total revenue.
The total revenue of organic food rises (See figure 3)