by FoodBizDaily.com staff writer
February 08 2010 - Leading German retailers together with the Trade Association of Germany have launched a project of joint monitoring of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, according to German media reports.
The trading company Edeka, Globe, Kaisers`s Tengelmann, Metro (Real, Metro Cash & Carry, Kaufhof), Rewe and Tegut start a joint Residue Monitoring for pesticides in fruits and vegetables.
"A better data follows a uniform risk analysis and assessment," says Deputy Chief Executive of the German Trade Association Stephan Tromp.
"The common residue monitoring is intended to verify compliance with the permissible maximum residue limits of pesticides in the production of fruit and vegetables. It is help to detect failures in the use of pesticides more quickly and to improve the long-term quality of fruits and vegetables.
He also added that at present hundreds of harmful agents are still used in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables all over the world.
Pesticides are widely used during the production of fruits, vegetables, and cereals. In apple production, fungicides and insecticides are used both pre- and postharvest to protect the fruit from a range of pests and fungi, and to preserve quality.