EU Issues Stern Measures On Six Thai Vegetables

[webfact]

EU issues stern measures on six Thai vegetables

LONDON: -- The European Union (EU) has issued strict control measures on six Thai vegetables imported by its member countries after some Thai exporters had exported sub-standard produce in which unacceptable chemical residue was found, Thai Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai said.

Mrs Pornthiva, now visiting England in an attempt to expand bilateral trade between England and Thailand, said the EU has imposed strict checks on eggplant, cabbage, string beans and coriander, lemon balm leaf and sweet basil -- before they are exported to EU members.

She said the EU also plans to impose a similar measure on six other Thai vegetables in future, which if implemented would affect both Thailand's vegetable exports and impact the operations of Thai restaurants operating in many European countries.

The consequences are wider than vegetables alone, as the economic community may also become reluctant Thai produce including fruit. The names of the other six vegetables were not disclosed.

Already, exporters following the existing regulations for export of Thai vegetables to Europe must shoulder added costs of some 50 per cent as they must to send their export shipments for laboratory tests and also facing risks that vegetables could become spoil and rot as tests normally take 4 to 5 days before the perishable cargoes can be transported.

Mrs Pornthiva said her ministry is now urging the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to help check that neither chemical residues nor insecticide is found in the vegetables before they are exported.

The Thai commerce minister also met with a senior executive of Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, urging that the EU import more Thai frozen chicken and shrimp.

Also, she met with a ranking executive of Harrods, London's most famous department store, in an attempt to find ways for more Thai produce to be sold at the store. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-10-20

[virtualtraveller]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

[tomyummer]

You mean, why are you NOT surprised.

[rebbu]

I shudder to think what pesticides they can use in non-exported foodstuffs!

[laurentbkk]

With a very strong Thai Baht importing chicken or shrimps will cost more than to buy in EU itself. Regarding vegetables , Thai producers should use less pesticides if they want to export to EU where rules for health are very drastic . Maybe its time to think differently.

[alant]

"Also, she met with a ranking executive of Harrods, London's most famous department store, in an attempt to find ways for more Thai produce to be sold at the store"

Proof that Thai business does have a plan, baht up, sterling down, sell to the rich

[way2muchcoffee]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

Makes you wonder what percentage of the produce in local markets and restaurants is contaminated and unhealthy.

Edited October 20, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[silp1979]

now we know why so many thai people die on cancer, it's not only high alcohohl consumption

think about the food you get in the restaurants here, even the expensive ones....

sometimes i see thai people picking veggies on the side of the road where a oil water mix makes the vegiies grow

[lomatopo]

Thousands ( ~ 2,000) of farmers here suffer from acute pesticide poisoning each year due to misuse, or unfamiliarity with application. (As an aside, pesticide poisoning is one of the leading forms of suicide here.) Fertilizer use has increased ~ 50x over the past ~ 20 years while yields have only doubled. I think a lot Thai chicken and shrimp has too much antibiotics and nitrates for foreign markets, so that product is sold domestically. Agricultural productivity here is abysmal, but better to keep the masses "down on the farm" with the "sufficiency economy".

Edited October 20, 2010 by lomatopo

[kuffki]

No problem Thai economy is strong enough. Nothing would effect it.

Just wait for the next week headlines and statements by some minister

[laurentbkk]

"Also, she met with a ranking executive of Harrods, London's most famous department store, in an attempt to find ways for more Thai produce to be sold at the store"

Proof that Thai business does have a plan, baht up, sterling down, sell to the rich

Shopping at Harrods now is so cheap for those who can afford it. That's maybe why this Thai official is going to Harrods.

[kuffki]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

Makes you wonder what percentage of the produce in local markets and restaurants is contaminated and unhealthy.

Might be off topic but when i lived in BKK for 5 years, i was sick(flu alike) for 10 days of every single month and had some kind of stomach upset every 3 weeks or so.

After moving to Pattaya and now been here for over 2 years and only been sick once and 1 stomach bug.

The air or the food, but definitely something was causing the problem non stop

[overdog]

So what next? The Thai vegie and fruit producers will take greater care in washing their produce? What a farce! The fact is that the fertilizers and pesticides used are absorbed into the plant. It is shameful that faster returns on a cash crop is more important than the consumers' health. I'm dying to find out how this gets resolved - slowly and inexorably dying.

[laurentbkk]

So what next? The Thai vegie and fruit producers will take greater care in washing their produce? What a farce! The fact is that the fertilizers and pesticides used are absorbed into the plant. It is shameful that faster returns on a cash crop is more important than the consumers' health. I'm dying to find out how this gets resolved - slowly and inexorably dying.

I usually buy organic vegetables but so far I wonder if those are even safe .

[rametindallas]

Not so long ago the Industry Ministry listed the 13 plants as hazardous substances to control production and commercialisation.that control insects naturally (at the behe$t of the fertili$er companie$). Food for export is fairly well regulated because it is checked by the EU and US FDA. I can't remember the source but produce sold in Thailand is largely unchecked for pesticide residue. The Thai Health Dept. does make sure the pesticide-tainted produce is prepared under hygenic conditions though. I cope by eating a wide variety of foods from a wide variety of sources to minimize exposure. It would be nice if someone invented a handy reagent that would change color in the presence of pesticides (similar to testing swimming pool water or test for drugs). Since there is no demand for such a product in developed countries it will propably never be invented.<H1> edit: I put a link here but it didn't show up so, Google 'Pesticide facts in Thailand' It's from 1997 but Thai farmers probably haven't changed much.

Edited October 20, 2010 by rametindallas

[h90]

So what next? The Thai vegie and fruit producers will take greater care in washing their produce? What a farce! The fact is that the fertilizers and pesticides used are absorbed into the plant. It is shameful that faster returns on a cash crop is more important than the consumers' health. I'm dying to find out how this gets resolved - slowly and inexorably dying.

I usually buy organic vegetables but so far I wonder if those are even safe .

I also buy organic if possible, but worry that they sell me the same thing for the double price.

My wife tries to buy from royal projects and from Chamlongs people....but hard to get

[apetley]

"Also, she met with a ranking executive of Harrods, London's most famous department store, in an attempt to find ways for more Thai produce to be sold at the store"

Proof that Thai business does have a plan, baht up, sterling down, sell to the rich

Somehow I doubt that most Harrods shoppers have eggplant, cabbage and string beans on their shopping lists.

[apetley]

So what next? The Thai vegie and fruit producers will take greater care in washing their produce? What a farce! The fact is that the fertilizers and pesticides used are absorbed into the plant. It is shameful that faster returns on a cash crop is more important than the consumers' health. I'm dying to find out how this gets resolved - slowly and inexorably dying.

I usually buy organic vegetables but so far I wonder if those are even safe .

I have posted on here before that it is hard to trust the claims of some organic produce.

My wife recently went to a seminar where there was a talk on the importance of healthy food. During an interval in proceedings one of the ladies there got talking to my wife about how she worked on a farm selling 'organic' produce and how they were tipped off when due an inspection so they could wash the vegetables before hand to remove traces of chemical fertiliser.

[laurentbkk]

So what next? The Thai vegie and fruit producers will take greater care in washing their produce? What a farce! The fact is that the fertilizers and pesticides used are absorbed into the plant. It is shameful that faster returns on a cash crop is more important than the consumers' health. I'm dying to find out how this gets resolved - slowly and inexorably dying.

I usually buy organic vegetables but so far I wonder if those are even safe .

I have posted on here before that it is hard to trust the claims of some organic produce.

My wife recently went to a seminar where there was a talk on the importance of healthy food. During an interval in proceedings one of the ladies there got talking to my wife about how she worked on a farm selling 'organic' produce and how they were tipped off when due an inspection so they could wash the vegetables before hand to remove traces of chemical fertiliser.

As I said yesterday ,with very strong thai baht ,better buy imported organic vegies from NZ .

[rubl]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

Makes you wonder what percentage of the produce in local markets and restaurants is contaminated and unhealthy.

The stuff you buy you can rinse carefully to get rid of most. It's indeed what you get served in restaurants, food courts and along the road where you take your risk. Unfortunately you'll not notice any effect immediately, you may just pass away a few years before your original 'due by' date.

[lonewolf99]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

Makes you wonder what percentage of the produce in local markets and restaurants is contaminated and unhealthy.

Might be off topic but when i lived in BKK for 5 years, i was sick(flu alike) for 10 days of every single month and had some kind of stomach upset every 3 weeks or so.

After moving to Pattaya and now been here for over 2 years and only been sick once and 1 stomach bug.

The air or the food, but definitely something was causing the problem non stop

Interesting....I never seem to get sick in Jomtien...I have been to to many 3rd world nations and you "expect" some form of squirts and get them.

Many of my friends who have never been to Thailand ask if I get "upset tummys"....but in 5 years only a couple of times.

My GF's family trade in Chilli peppers mostly and some other vegetables in deepest Isaan. Her family will not get involved in water melons because they say there are too many dangerous chemicals needed to make it grow !!! They think nothing of eating mangoes straight off their own trees as there are no chemicals but insist on peeling and washing other fruit and veg bought elesewhere.

SADLY many people think the chemicals are only on the surface....WRONG...the plant has to be full of them and if there are no strict guidlines and supervision when the plants are sprayed no one knows what damage is being done to the people who are consuming them or the land it grows on or the animals / insects that get involved.

If this "news" items hits the British tabloid press about S.E. Asian veg fruit and seafood being full of cemicals - it will play havoc with Thailands exports.....

[Hawkup2000]

I love the cabbage and bean plate that's served with the som tam at the local restaurant. Every time I eat it my girlfriend complain about me being stupid because it's dangerous because of all the chemicals. Hope she won't see this article, if she does I won't hear the end of it.

[kuffki]

Yikes! Why am I surprised?

Makes you wonder what percentage of the produce in local markets and restaurants is contaminated and unhealthy.

Might be off topic but when i lived in BKK for 5 years, i was sick(flu alike) for 10 days of every single month and had some kind of stomach upset every 3 weeks or so.

After moving to Pattaya and now been here for over 2 years and only been sick once and 1 stomach bug.

The air or the food, but definitely something was causing the problem non stop

Interesting....I never seem to get sick in Jomtien...I have been to to many 3rd world nations and you "expect" some form of squirts and get them.

Many of my friends who have never been to Thailand ask if I get "upset tummys"....but in 5 years only a couple of times.

My GF's family trade in Chilli peppers mostly and some other vegetables in deepest Isaan. Her family will not get involved in water melons because they say there are too many dangerous chemicals needed to make it grow !!! They think nothing of eating mangoes straight off their own trees as there are no chemicals but insist on peeling and washing other fruit and veg bought elesewhere.

SADLY many people think the chemicals are only on the surface....WRONG...the plant has to be full of them and if there are no strict guidlines and supervision when the plants are sprayed no one knows what damage is being done to the people who are consuming them or the land it grows on or the animals / insects that get involved.

If this "news" items hits the British tabloid press about S.E. Asian veg fruit and seafood being full of cemicals - it will play havoc with Thailands exports.....

yeah, since i been living in Pattaya, all seem to be ok. Just got sock first time in over 2 years

[asiawatcher]

Its a choice between human fertilisers in the fields or chemicals. Devil you know or the devil you don't!

[lungmi]

Its a choice between human fertilisers in the fields or chemicals. Devil you know or the devil you don't!

I agree. Thai people look for the beauty of a vegetables. On the local market I buy the products of the gardens of poor people, ugly to see, but good taste and clean. They don't have the money for chemical fertiliziers.

[SantiSuk]

Its a choice between human fertilisers in the fields or chemicals. Devil you know or the devil you don't!

I agree. Thai people look for the beauty of a vegetables. On the local market I buy the products of the gardens of poor people, ugly to see, but good taste and clean. They don't have the money for chemical fertiliziers.

Looking for beautiful veggies and the resulting pressure to use pesticides and genetics is a worldwide thing - not special to Thailand. I think I might take up your tip on buying from ugly people (woops sorry - poor people - Freudian slip)

[haveaniceday]

Late last year a bulk carrier of Thai Rice was rejected in Australia for 8.6 (eight decimal six) times the MAXIMUM level for human consumption of DDT.

So the Thai new the standard ti had to meet, my mind boggles how much poison is consumed domestically.

Maybe the Thai thought the rice could be a cheap rat bait to kill rats !!!!

[rawairunner]

No food stuff is safe here .

Beans on toast for me from now on

[twix38]

Yes, I have long wondered about the slow poisoning we submit ourselves to eating Thai fruit and veg in Thailand.

Stories of Japan, Australia and the EU stopping consumption due to pesticides. It's been for rice and Oranges before (more, but can't remember) and now the EU list.

Personally I don't trust anything here because there is just too much concern on getting the product to market and earning money. Everything else is secondary.

You are unlikely to notice as this type of issue builds up in the system and 5, 10, 15 years down the line you get ill - cancer, liver disease etc whatever and don't even know it's source.

Thailand comes just maginally higher in the food danger rankings than the chinese, whose baby milk scandal poisioned their own babies for profit! Same, same but different and a much bigger issue than we care to admit or fully realise.

In 10/15 years time when you have some health issue - just remember the build up of chemicals from the land that health and safety forgot and corruption and money allowed.

Edited October 20, 2010 by twix38

[femi fan]

People might do well to not labour under the idea that vegetables and fruits are safe in the eu, us, australia. They too are riddled with pesticides and chemicals, and are irradiated to keep them fresh longer due to long distances from farm to shelves.

Food is one of the biggest causers of cancer worldwide, if not the biggest. As for general levels of health in different countries just look at the size of people nowadays.

And then there's the meats these countries sell.

I will reevaluate my feelings towards thai produce, but to think you're safer in first world nations when eating is not to be encouraged. One barometer is how tasty foods are. And much food these days in those first world countries is pretty tasteless. One should ask why this is...