Pesticide residues in vegetables

Before the MRL is formally adopted, a dietary intake risk assessment will be conducted to ensure that pesticide residues in crops will not harm the health of consumers
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Is it safe to use pesticides?Pesticides are single or mixed substances used to control, kill, drive or reduce harmful organisms
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The use of pesticides is a common practice in agriculture.
Its effect is to increase and stabilize agricultural production; to preserve the nutrition of food; to make it easy to store food to provide for the whole year; and to make the appearance of food more attractive and popular
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Pesticides themselves are potentially toxic to organisms (including humans)
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Residual pesticides will gradually decompose over time and become less and less
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However, even if the appropriate amount of pesticide is applied at the appropriate time, crops still inevitably leave a small amount of pesticide
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If farmers follow label instructions and good agricultural practices to use pesticides appropriately, the amount of pesticides remaining in crops during harvest will generally not exceed the local maximum residue limit, and the impact on health is minimal
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What is the maximum residual limit?The maximum residue limit refers to the maximum legally permitted content of pesticide residues in food under the premise of correct use of pesticides
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The maximum residue limits for different "pesticide-food" combinations are mainly based on data obtained from supervised field trials
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The purpose of field trials is to find out how much pesticides applied in accordance with good agricultural practices will remain in food or crops
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Before the MRL is officially adopted, the dietary intake risk assessment will be carried out according to the residue limit and the consumption of related foods to ensure that the pesticide residues ingested by people will not affect health (see figure)
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Since the maximum residue limit is much lower than the amount that has an impact on health, even if the pesticide residue is higher than the limit, it does not mean that there will be an immediate danger to public health, but it reflects that the industry has not strictly adhered to good agricultural practices
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How to regulate pesticide residues in food?The "Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation" (the "Regulations") sets out the maximum residue limit/maximum residue limit for certain "pesticide-food" combinations.
Exceeding it is an offence
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If food contains pesticide residues that do not specify the maximum residue limit/maximum residue limit in the Regulations, in addition to being exempted from pesticides, the food can only be imported if the food does not harm or harm health.
Or sell
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The authorities will conduct a risk assessment to study the acute or chronic effects of the food on the human body to determine whether the consumption of the food will harm your health
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From the implementation of the "Regulations" to April 15, 2016, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) tested 58,500 food samples, of which 141 vegetable and fruit samples had excessive pesticide residues, and the overall failure rate was insufficient 0.
3% is low compared to other regions such as Canada, the European Union, New Zealand and the United States
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In addition, the results of a total diet study conducted by the center show that the intake of 85 common pesticides and some organochlorine pesticides from the diet of Hong Kong citizens is unlikely to bring unacceptable health risks
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　　Follow-up action　　Regarding the two samples with pesticide residues exceeding the standard mentioned at the beginning of the article, the center has taken follow-up samples for testing, and the results are all satisfactory
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In the past three years, the center has tested about 600 sweet potato samples, of which three samples had excessive pesticide residues
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　　Points to note:　　Appropriate use of pesticides can improve the quality and quantity of food at the same time
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　　As long as the good agricultural practices are strictly followed, the use of pesticides is safe
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　　Occasionally eating food with pesticide residues exceeding the maximum residue limit will not harm your health
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　　Advice to the industry:　　Farmers should abide by good agricultural practices and only use pesticides registered in Hong Kong
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　　Vegetable vendors should check with suppliers and ensure that the food they sell complies with local laws and regulations
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　　Advice to the public　　Pay attention to a balanced diet to avoid excessive intake of pesticides due to only a few types of food
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　　To reduce the amount of pesticide residues in vegetables, wash the vegetables several times with running water, then soak the vegetables in clean water for one hour or blanch them in boiling water for one minute, and discard the water
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　　Those who wish to further reduce the pesticide content in vegetables can remove the outer leaves or peel off the outer leaves of the vegetables
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