A Quick Guide to Pesticide Residue in Food
Are you concerned about the levels of pesticide residue that may exist in your everyday foods?
Here's a quick guide to the situation regarding pesticide residue in Australia to set your mind at rest.
ABOUT THE CHEMICALS IN FOOD
Chemical additives such as pesticides and hormones are used in agriculture to increase output, decrease food waste, and guarantee a sufficient supply of food.
However, the residues of these chemicals can be a health hazard if consumed in significant quantities
Fortunately, the use of pesticides in Australia is under strict regulation for the protection of consumers. The Food Standards Australia and New Zealand determine the accepted safe levels of pesticide residue in foods.
FOOD AND PESTICIDE RESIDUE MONITORING
Australia has been constantly monitoring the amounts of pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables for over the last thirty years.
- To guarantee that food is safe, a minimum amount of time must pass between applying pesticides and harvesting products.
- Australia routinely has very low and well-within-safe-limits levels of chemical residues.
To control the appropriate application of agricultural chemicals like pesticides, the government has implemented production monitoring programs. There are numerous variables that affect the quantity of pesticide residue in food, including:
- the kind and quantity of pesticides applied.
- the quantity of wind, rain, and sun that the crop was exposed to.
- the degree of food processing (such as length of storage, washing, or peeling).
MAINTAINING THE BALANCE BETWEEN PESTICIDE USE AND FOOD SUPPLY
A high-quality, consistent food supply must be balanced with the requirement to shield consumers from needless chemical exposure.
Wide safety margins are included in Australia's pesticide residue maximum limits for safe human ingestion.
LEARNING FROM PAST LESSONS
A pesticide, DDT (or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) did cause some unfavourable consequences in the past. It was persistent in the environment and had the capacity to build up in human body fat.
Although DDT is no longer utilised in agricultural production in Australia, it is nevertheless utilised in some other nations.
HOW TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDE RESIDUES
Wash all fruits and vegetables, even organic ones, very well.
- Grow your own veggie garden.
- Remove the outermost layer of leaves and peel the vegetables.
- Remove any visible fat from meats since many residues are fat soluble,
- Cook chicken and beef until very well done.
- Purchase organic foods, but understand that organic farmers are permitted to use natural pesticides. Even naturally occurring pesticides may have negative effects on people if they are eaten in sufficient quantities.
For more information on pesticide residue, contact an agricultural professional near you.