For example, banned pesticides end up on Swiss plates

Culinary herbs from Thailand, spices from India or vegetables from Turkey are often contaminated with pesticides that are banned in Switzerland. This is evident from samples of food imports. The non-governmental organization Public Eye evaluated this data from the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Service for the year 2021 for the first time.

Accordingly, banned substances were found in more than every third sample from non-EU countries in this country. The data comes from the cantons that carry out analyzes of food imports in suspicious cases. A total of 1419 products were tested. About half of these came from the EU; virtually no prohibited substances were found in these samples.

In total, the authorities discovered 57 breakdown products of pesticides that are banned in Switzerland. A herbal sample from Thailand even found 18 different substances. The fungicide carbendazim, the insecticide chlorpyrifos and the bee venom imidacloprid were the most common. Spices and beans top the list of most polluted imports, followed by exotic fruits, culinary herbs, peppers and chili.

However, the fact that such imported foods contain banned pesticides is not an automatic reason to remove them from the market. The import is allowed because it usually does not violate the limit values. One sixth of the samples examined in 2021 exceeded legal requirements.

The limit values ​​are generously designed. According to the law, imported food “may not, in principle, contain residues of substances that are not allowed in Switzerland”. This “zero tolerance” is at the so-called limit of quantification of 0.01 mg/kg.

However, the Federal Council has foreseen higher “import tolerances” for more than 100 substances, although these substances are banned in Switzerland because of their effects on health during use and on the environment. An example of this is the insecticide Profenos.

As national councilor Christine Badertscher (Greens) criticizes, the limit value for chili contaminated with profenos is three hundred times higher than the limit of determination. “In this way, the Federal Council not only endangers the health of consumers, but also creates an unequally long spit for Swiss farms that can do without these products,” she writes in a motion to be discussed in the Council of States on Tuesday. . The National Council and the Commission of the State Council have already spoken in favor of the case.

So there is a good chance that the Bundesrat will soon have to adjust the tolerance limits for imported food downwards. An alliance is emerging between the ecological forces in parliament and the influential farmers: in a letter dated mid-May, several farmers’ associations called on the small chamber to vote in favor of the motion – including the powerful farmers’ union and the lobby of vegetable and grain producers. producers.

They argue for the competitive disadvantage that Swiss farmers currently have against foreign competition by being without such resources. Swiss farmers should “continue to deliver an equally good harvest with increasingly stricter requirements and fewer pesticides,” the letter says.

In addition, consumers prefer visually flawless products, even if they can hardly be produced without or with less effort. Swiss customers are not aware that the nice-looking imported products can be contaminated with substances that are banned in Switzerland.

“Looking outside one’s own nose also shows that these substances can cause serious poisoning among farmers in third countries and can be held responsible for major environmental pollution,” according to the agricultural associations. Switzerland should also be aware of its responsibility towards other countries and promote prudent use of resources.

The Bundesrat rejects a tightening of the import rules. “The maximum levels of pesticide residues, including import tolerances, are already regularly checked. Maximum levels are only granted if they are not harmful to the health of the consumer.”

In response to a previous parliamentary question, the government states: “Even if a plant protection product is not authorized in Switzerland for the protection of users or the environment, products that have been treated with this plant protection product abroad can still be safe for consumption. » (aargauerzeitung.ch)