Who checks for residues in food?

The grower has a responsibility to ensure pesticides used are applied according to the label instructions.

Everyone in the supply chain has a responsibility to ensure the MRL is not exceeded in any food they handle. Growers, processors and retailers all carry out checks. The Co-operative makes these results public.

The Pesticide Safety Directorate also monitors pesticide residues in the UK food supply. They are advised by a committee, the Pesticide Residues Committee, on planning the surveillance programme.

This programme usually looks at staple foods, including foods where high residues might be expected. It monitors all foods on a rolling programme. This means some foods are checked more often than others.

The results are published quarterly. They are available on the Pesticide Safety Directorate website at this address: www.pesticides.gov.uk

The data includes details of each food, its country of origin, where it was purchased, the brand name and the residue found.

Within The Co-operative we also undertake our own residue testing on a range of our own brand produce, meat and staple products. We test to ensure that all residues are within the MRL set, and also to check that none of our banned and prohibited chemicals have been applied and left a residue. We also want our customers to understand where pesticide residues occur within our products.

Samples of fruit and vegetables are regularly taken for testing from our produce distribution depots. Each sample is tested for 140 different potential active chemicals.

Due to a change in contracts a number of samples have been missed from our monthly residue testing. This issue is now resolved as we have a new laboratory working with us.

To see the results of our 2011 residue tests click here

To see the results of our 2010 residue tests click here 

To see the results of our 2009 residue tests click here

To see the results of our 2008 residue tests click here

What is being done to reduce pesticides?