Horticulture NZ queries import safety

Tests of vegetables from China showed

The adequacy of New Zealand's regime for screening fruit and vegetable imports for chemical residues has been called into question by industry body Horticulture NZ and the Green Party.

But the NZ Food Safety Authority defends its practices - which include limited testing of food imports and liaison with overseas authorities - and insists food sold here is safe.

The exchange comes amid concerns about chemical residues in imports from China, which - at about 6000-7000 tonnes a year - make up a small percentage of fruit and vegetables consumed in New Zealand.

The Chinese imports include garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and pears.

Horticulture NZ's latest Grower magazine quoted a US academic as saying old policies had encouraged over-application of chemicals. There had been too many herbicides, insecticides and fertilisers used, while environmental pollution had put lead and other heavy metals into the soil.

Tests of vegetables from China sold in Hong Kong supermarkets had shown "alarming levels" of pesticides. In one sample, 30 per cent had exceeded maximum residue levels. "Prehistoric" chemicals like DDT and other "nasties" such as HCH and Lindane showed up in other samples.

Japan, which imports a significant amount of Chinese produce, had instituted a "major crackdown" because of China's failure to have systems in place guaranteeing safe foods and authorities would now test more than 300 foods for nearly 800 chemicals.

Horticulture NZ chief executive Peter Silcock said there should be more frequent testing of imports here and better targeting of produce from particular countries.

"If people get sick, as a result of residues, that reflects on the whole industry ... even though it's China generating the problem."

Silcock also wanted country of origin labelling for imports to help consumers decide what to buy.

Green Party health spokesperson Sue Kedgley said the tests of 85 Chinese produce samples by Greenpeace China between November last and this April showed 86 per cent had residues and 25 per cent had illegal residues.

Kedgley called on the Government to introduce more widespread random testing of all imported foods "so it can assure New Zealand consumers that imported foods are not contaminated".

The Food Safety Authority said it does a "total diet survey" approximately every five years looking at all foods commonly eaten, including tests for residues and environmental contaminants. Every year, its food residue surveillance programme tests a selection of fruit and vegetables - none had shown excessive residue levels.

The most recent tests had included pears and peanuts from China, and they had not shown problems.

Authority director of New Zealand standards Tim Knox said tests showed produce sold here had "extremely low levels" of chemical residues.

"New Zealand consumers can continue to confidently enjoy a varied diet of fruit and vegetables, whether the produce is local or imported."

Knox said current work to strengthen monitoring of imported foods included improving information management collection and management, conducting a risk profiling programme and increasing residue and contaminant monitoring through targeted surveillance.

Communications manager Gary Bowering said "every time one of them finds a problem it's alerted internationally and we all talk to each other."

Bowering said the Greenpeace tests seemed to identify the chemical but not the amount. However, low-levels of banned chemicals were picked up in tests in New Zealand because they had been used before and traces were still in the environment.