Pesticides in food in Thailand, are you concerned?

[Don Chance]

Do you do any special preparation to your fruits and vegetables to remove pesticide residue?  Avoid certain produce? Probably fish is the safest. Chicken is exported and maybe checked for pesticide content. Are they still using banned pesticides?

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/7/2023 at 4:24 AM, Don Chance said:

Do you do any special preparation to your fruits and vegetables to remove pesticide residue?  Avoid certain produce?

No.

[Mark Nothing]

I clean all my produce by soaking in soapy water and rinsing off with distilled water and have never had a problem.

 

A few years ago we were watching a fruit lady spraying all her produce with bug spray at the local fruit market right in front of us to keep insects from eating her merchandise. 

 

 

[Don Chance]

3 hours ago, Mark Nothing said:

I clean all my produce by soaking in soapy water and rinsing off with distilled water and have never had a problem.

 

A few years ago we were watching a fruit lady spraying all her produce with bug spray at the local fruit market right in front of us to keep insects from eating her merchandise. 

 

 

That is not suppose to be good, the vegetables will absorb the soap and not rinse off.

[fdsa]

4 hours ago, Mark Nothing said:

A few years ago we were watching a fruit lady spraying all her produce with bug spray at the local fruit market right in front of us to keep insects from eating her merchandise. 

????ZOMGWṪF https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organophosphate#Health_effects

[fieldsofgreen]

Yes, farmer next door sprays asparagus day before sale. He is dying in forties because of pesticides. Eat organic or grow your own.

[Everyman]

On 11/1/2023 at 5:00 PM, fieldsofgreen said:

Yes, farmer next door sprays asparagus day before sale. He is dying in forties because of pesticides. Eat organic or grow your own.

 

It’s a myth that organic produce is grown without pesticides. In fact they are grown with “organic” rather than synthetic pesticides, but that says nothing about the toxicity of the pesticides. Many “organic” pesticides are more toxic than synthetic pesticides. Certainly organic farming is much worse for the environment because crop yields are lower, requiring more land to grow the same amount of food. 

[KhunLA]

Always read your labels, if in Thai, use translator ...

This is too funny ... wait for it 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/796794169047478

[Korat Kiwi]

No

[Kinnock]

Yes .... always wash fruit and veg using a 'vegga wash'.

 

Pesticide use is not well controlled in Thailand.

[Tropicalevo]

On 1/7/2023 at 11:24 AM, Don Chance said:

Are they still using banned pesticides?

Depends on your definition of banned.

Here they use DDT. Banned all over the world.

All I know is that I buy the veggies/fruit etc in supermarkets (wet markets try to rip me off).

I take it home and eat them. Only wash if visibly dirty.

I grew up eating stuff straight off the plant.

I eat the food that I drop on the floor.

Used to eat dirt as a kid and never washed my hands before a meal. But I do after using the bathroom. Outside germs good for the gut. My germs not.

73 and still kicking (just). No allergies.

Edited May 2 by Tropicalevo

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 1/7/2023 at 11:24 AM, Don Chance said:

Do you do any special preparation to your fruits and vegetables to remove pesticide residue?  Avoid certain produce? Probably fish is the safest. Chicken is exported and maybe checked for pesticide content. Are they still using banned pesticides?

 

There is/was a private group here in Thailand called the Thailand Pesticide Action Network (Thai-PAN) that used to do semi-regular independent pesticide testing on various fruits and vegetables sold here, both domestically produced and imported.

 

Their testing was  done by an independent lab in the UK. The results were not good, though certain types of fruits and veggies had consistently higher levels of pesticide residues, while other types were much less problematic.

 

https://thaipan-org.translate.goog/data/2333?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

 

Comparing toxic residues in fruits and vegetables, imported salads and those produced domestically, they are equally poor.

 

Posted on January 19, 2021

 

last month Thai Pan recently published the results of a large-scale surveillance of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. A total of 509 samples of fruits and vegetables were randomly examined from all over the country.

...

All samples were sent for testing at a laboratory in the United Kingdom. which can measure results covering insecticides and fungi (excluding herbicides) of more than 500 types and certified to international standards (ISO17025). The results showed that pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables exceeded the standard by 58.7%.

...

Classified according to the source of vegetables and fruits, it was found that Imported and domestically produced fruits and vegetables are equally at risk. Residues exceeding standards were found in 54.01% of fruits and vegetables produced within the country, out of a total of 274 samples of vegetables sent for inspection. Residues exceeding standards were found in 56.1% of fruits and vegetables imported from abroad, out of the number of samples known to be imported."

 

Also (links require Google Translate in your browser):

 

https://thaipan-org.translate.goog/action/2302?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

 

https://thaipan-org.translate.goog/highlights/2283?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

 

https://thaipan-org.translate.goog/action/1107?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

 

"Thaipan also found that the most persistent pesticide residues are The fungicide carbendazim has been banned for use in the United States for more than a decade. Because it affects the reproductive system But residues were found in 57 samples of fruits and vegetables, followed by cypermethrin. Imidacchlorfrid Azoxystrobin and chlorpyrifos, a toxic substance that affects children's brain development, were found in 54, 41, 39, and 38 samples, respectively.

 

In addition, there were 8 samples of toxic pesticides that have been discontinued, such as methamidophos, and 9 samples of toxic substances that have not yet been allowed to be registered, such as carbofuran. 10 examples and substances which are not on the list of hazardous substances 2013, up to 9 types such as Boscalid, Ethirimol, Fenhexamid, Fluxapyroxad, Isopyrazam, Metrafenone, Proquinazid, Pyrimethanil, Quinoxyfen, all of these 3 groups of substances are illegal and It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to allow its use. and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that leaves residue"

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

"According to him, organophosphate and carbamates insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides send some 5,000 people on average to hospitals each year. Their treatment costs about Bt22 million annually."

 

"From October 1 last year to July this year, such dangerous farm chemicals directly harmed the health of at least 4,000 people, 520 of whom died. “When we look into the details, Health Zone 1 has had the highest number of such cases,” Sakchai said."

 

 

Edited May 2 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Almost all tangerines, oranges in Thai supermarkets unsafe, survey shows

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022

 

A recent survey conducted by two consumer groups and a magazine learned that most citrus fruits and orange juices on supermarket shelves have unsafe levels of pesticide residue.

 

The survey was conducted by the Thailand Consumer Council, the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) and the Smart Buy magazine from January 3 to 30.

 

The group collected samples of 60 tangerines and oranges and 10 types of orange juice from wholesale markets, department stores, convenience stores and online stores.

 

(more)

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013288

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

NGO taking the government to court over food pesticides

26 November 2017

 

More than 60 per cent of five popular vegetables sold in local markets contain excessive levels of harmful chemical residue, according to a testing by the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), a non-governmental organisation working on food safety.

 

About 64 per cent of khana (Chinese kale), tua fak yao (long beans), prik daeng (red chili), bai kaprao (basil leaves) and kalam pree (cabbage) samples contained chemical residue above maximum residue levels (MRL) limit, said Thai-PAN coordinator Prokchol Ousap at a press conference on Friday.

...

Tests also found herbicide residue in as much as 55 per cent of the 76 vegetable and fruit samples, she said. Herbicides detected included paraquat, which was detected in 38 samples, glyphosate in six and atrazine in four (multiple substances were found contaminating some samples).

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/ngo-taking-government-court-food-pesticides

 

 

 

[Hummin]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:24 AM, Don Chance said:

Do you do any special preparation to your fruits and vegetables to remove pesticide residue?  Avoid certain produce? Probably fish is the safest. Chicken is exported and maybe checked for pesticide content. Are they still using banned pesticides?

At 55 I do not worry to much, but I avoid farmed fish, and vegetables and fruit we grow our selves, and only buy when we are out of season. 

 

Chicken I hardly eat anymore, and stick to beef when In Thailand. 

 

Try to eat as clean as possible

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Pesticide use in Thailand: Current situation, health risks, and gaps in research and policy

Published online 2020 Aug 27

...

Thailand continues to increase its annual import of pesticides. Commonly imported insecticide classes included organophosphate (OP; e.g., chlorpyrifos), carbamate (e.g., fenobucarb, methomyl), and pyrethroid (e.g., cypermethrin, deltamethrin). The most commonly imported herbicides were paraquat, glyphosate, 2,4-D, ametryn, and atrazine. The most commonly imported fungicides were dithiocarbamate, mancozeb, carbendazim, and captan (Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, 2020). The import trends of these 3 major types of pesticides from 2008–2019, as well as the total value of these imports are shown in Figure 1.

...

Despite Thai governmental legislation to control pesticide use, many farmers continue to use banned pesticides, apply higher concentrations than recommended, and do not use adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) (Rivera et al. 2016). Their decisions regarding pesticide use are often based on information given by retailers, other farmers, agricultural extension service agents and even the pesticide companies themselves (Tawatsin et al. 2015). Due to lack of knowledge, availability and affordability or discomfort in the equatorial climate, studies have shown that few farmers use proper PPE when applying pesticides (Kongtip et al. 2018; 2019).

...

More widespread and routine testing of agricultural food products is also needed. Ideally, this would be conducted by government bodies, but currently that function falls between the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, neither of which has a robust system in place for testing.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8291370/

 

[MangoKorat]

You can't even trust organically grown veg in Thailand. Its a few years back so I can't remember details but some group or other, not sure if they were official or an environmental group, tested 100 supposedly 'organically' grown vegetable samples from shops/markets around Bangkok. The vast majority had traces of harmful pesticides on them.

 

I'll be growing a lot of my own veg soon.

[MangoKorat]

 

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

I take it home and eat them. Only wash if visibly dirty.

 

Used to eat dirt as a kid and never washed my hands before a meal. But I do after using the bathroom.

You'd better be hoping that the Thai farm-workers that harvested your veg, also wash their hands after using the bathroom then. I'm sure they do though..........in those special handwashing sinks in the farm fields. The ones next to the mobile toilet blocks, have you seen them?

Edited May 2 by MangoKorat

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

28 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

You can't even trust organically grown veg in Thailand. Its a few years back so I can't remember details but some group or other, not sure if they were official or an environmental group, tested 100 supposedly 'organically' grown vegetable samples from shops/markets around Bangkok. The vast majority had traces of harmful pesticides on them.

 

I'll be growing a lot of my own veg soon.

 

That was the above referenced Thai-PAN organization.. And yes, they found that most of the Thailand-based organic certifications had little meaning-value...  But, the international and USDA organic certifications fared much better.

 

Their testing also found that produce labeled here as hydroponic also continued to have pesticide residues, despite the public perception/expectation that it wouldn't.

 

Edited May 2 by TallGuyJohninBKK