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EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

foodwatch.org

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Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#61

Post by 7moritz7 »

culi wrote: post #53
nozzlegear wrote: post #16

The report itself[†] blames the pesticide residue on a "boomerang effect" from EU countries: EU countries export these banned pesticides to third countries, those countries use the banned pesticides on the food they grow, and then the EU countries import that food. In effect, EU companies are still profiting off of the sale and use of banned pesticides on food that Europeans will eat. [†] https://www.foodwatch.org/fi…

Unfortunately this is an all too common pattern in the history of pesticides. In 1979 DBCP was banned in the US after factory workers became sterile. Dow Chemical happily shipped tons of it to be sprayed directly on banana workers in banana republics[0] by Dole/Chiquita/Del Monte. To this day Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua have some of the highest rates of infertility, birth defects, and chron…

I'd be more scared of publicly criticizing Chiquita than the CIA at this point

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#62

Post by woadwarrior01 »

darth_avocado wrote: post #30
ofrzeta wrote: post #6

For spices and tea it really makes sense to buy organic (not that there are no fraudsters but still).

Organic is just green washing, it doesn’t mean no chemicals. Plenty of organic products contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Organic oats have been found to contain glyphosate. Organic spices have been found to contain heavy metals.

Within the EU, it does. There's a whole regulation for it: EU 2018/848.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#63

Post by Saline9515 »

luqtas wrote: post #46
Saline9515 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organic means that no non-organic pesticides have been used in production. There are still organic ones available, which are less dangerous. Especially to the farmers who are the first ones to get exposed to the poisons we spread on the fields.

care to cite any decent research proving you point? there's an extensive body of research on synthetics having no effect on human health, from goverment funded, private and independent research... if you access your country's official institution you'll see there's plenty of synthetics allowed in organic agriculture just because they mimic perfectly "organic" substances interesting point too, is the lack of any exten…

Not all synthetics are dangerous, many are. Many are banned, with the list growing each year: https://www.npic.orst.edu/reg/restricted.html

Why were they allowed in the first place, if "research" was enough? Science is not definitive, and what we believe to be an approximation of the truth today way be discovered to be totally wrong tomorrow. You are confusing science and religion.

Would you defend, for instance, that DDT and other organochlorine poisons are safe? They were the darling of scientists and agrobiz companies for a long time, until we discovered well that they were dangerous.

Of course, if we find a strict equivalent to a biopesticide that happens to be synthetical, it would be a good substitute. But most synthetic pesticides are not like this, unfortunately.

And what you say about the lack of studies regarding organic farming is a plain lie, it takes 30 seconds on google scholar to find it:

- Farmers in organic farms are less exposed to health effects of synthetic pesticides: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03784...

- Organic farming improve soils and yields: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X2...

- Review on organic food quality and health effects: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12940-017-031...

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#64

Post by Hikikomori »

Saline9515 wrote: post #35
spwa4 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't the EU fresh from a scandal that they voted all sorts of laws, sued lots of EU companies, and then allowed Chinese companies to import lots of stuff that obviously violated all those laws for 20+ years? From safety regulations to baby toys with lead paint. The EU will probably do nothing again.

The EU has allowed large scale imports of chinese fake honey for the last 20 years. All of the beekeeper associations complain about it, regularly conduct lab tests with honeys from supermarkets, most of them being not honey, or mixed with fake honey. The EU of course has done nothing : the beekeepers aren't powerful enough to distribute the right bribes to the right people. Meanwhile the consumers buy glucose syrup…

Its up to individual countries to do it no? They've been testing honey here recently and several brands got removed from stores.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#65

Post by contingencies »

LaGrange wrote: post #58
amelius wrote: post #27

We're reaching the point where people need to install GC/MS systems in their homes in order to be safe from food hazards.

No we don’t. And the greatest hazard is the soul crushing disappointment that is a Dutch tomato.

wasserbomben + https://www.hortidaily.com/article/6022801/how-tasty-tom-suc...

I'll settle for no soft apples.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#66

Post by Saline9515 »

parineum wrote: post #60
Saline9515 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organic means that no non-organic pesticides have been used in production. There are still organic ones available, which are less dangerous. Especially to the farmers who are the first ones to get exposed to the poisons we spread on the fields.

> There are still organic ones available, which are less dangerous. "Organic" as in certified 'Organic' or as in the class of molecules? If the former then I'd love to see the classification requirements that make a qualifying chemical safer all the ones that aren't. If the later, that's blatantly untrue

"Organic" as in "allowed in what is commonly called 'organic farming'". You can find the rather short list here: https://www.agdaily.com/technology/the-list-of-pesticides-ap...

Note that other countries may have different legislations. You are also free to eat DDT to prove that organic farming is not really safer.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#67

Post by Saline9515 »

Hikikomori wrote: post #64
Saline9515 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU has allowed large scale imports of chinese fake honey for the last 20 years. All of the beekeeper associations complain about it, regularly conduct lab tests with honeys from supermarkets, most of them being not honey, or mixed with fake honey. The EU of course has done nothing : the beekeepers aren't powerful enough to distribute the right bribes to the right people. Meanwhile the consumers buy glucose syrup…

Its up to individual countries to do it no? They've been testing honey here recently and several brands got removed from stores.

No, it's up to the EU to stop imports from China. It's not possible for individual countries to do it:

- Lab testing is complex, requires to identify the DNA of pollens in honey and few countries can do it at the moment.

- Honeys are mixed, so it's trivial to receive fake honey in a country that allows it, mix it, and reexport to another one that forbids it. Same happens with olive oils, no one cares.

- Many brands just lie, given that there is no enforcement regarding food traceability and safety in general in the EU (it's a meme to reassure consumers). Where I live a brand advertising "locally made honey" was found to sell glucose syrup : nothing happened.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#68

Post by pipeline_peak »

culi wrote: post #53
nozzlegear wrote: post #16

The report itself[†] blames the pesticide residue on a "boomerang effect" from EU countries: EU countries export these banned pesticides to third countries, those countries use the banned pesticides on the food they grow, and then the EU countries import that food. In effect, EU companies are still profiting off of the sale and use of banned pesticides on food that Europeans will eat. [†] https://www.foodwatch.org/fi…

Unfortunately this is an all too common pattern in the history of pesticides. In 1979 DBCP was banned in the US after factory workers became sterile. Dow Chemical happily shipped tons of it to be sprayed directly on banana workers in banana republics[0] by Dole/Chiquita/Del Monte. To this day Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua have some of the highest rates of infertility, birth defects, and chron…

What else would they have produced with banana crops that people would’ve wanted?

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#69

Post by culi »

pipeline_peak wrote: post #68
culi wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately this is an all too common pattern in the history of pesticides. In 1979 DBCP was banned in the US after factory workers became sterile. Dow Chemical happily shipped tons of it to be sprayed directly on banana workers in banana republics[0] by Dole/Chiquita/Del Monte. To this day Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua have some of the highest rates of infertility, birth defects, and chron…

What else would they have produced with banana crops that people would’ve wanted?

More banana varieties. The reason Panama Disease was so successful is because of the practice of cloning. Every single crop is the same genetics. Researchers warned that starting over with the Cavendish would result in the exact same thing again and the clear solution was to stop cloning the exact same plant and grow more types of bananas (there are more than 1,000 species of banana and tens of thousands of varieties around the world).

Now we're dealing with TR4 because of the Cavendish being grown in the exact same way but with an even heavier reliance on pesticides, slavery, and violent control over local power.

Re: EU-banned pesticides found in rice, tea and spices

#70

Post by culi »

7moritz7 wrote: post #61
culi wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately this is an all too common pattern in the history of pesticides. In 1979 DBCP was banned in the US after factory workers became sterile. Dow Chemical happily shipped tons of it to be sprayed directly on banana workers in banana republics[0] by Dole/Chiquita/Del Monte. To this day Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua have some of the highest rates of infertility, birth defects, and chron…

I'd be more scared of publicly criticizing Chiquita than the CIA at this point

All but 2 countries in South America have had the experience of democratically electing a leader only to have them overthrown in a US-backed coup. The US/CIA started with this obsession with the 1954 Guatemalan Coup specifically to maintain Guatemala as a banana republic. Chiquita owned most land in Guatemala and left is uncultivated to stifle competition. Jacobo Árbenz wanted to (slightly) tax this land to reduce poverty. Chiquita hired Edward Bernays (yes, that guy. The father of modern public relations, nephew of Freud, etc) for an influence campaign and eventually got CIA to launch Operation PBSuccess in 1953. The CIA/Chiquita gave very extensive lists of political opponents to murder during the coup.

So what's really the difference?

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