Food products guaranteed to be pesticide-free are not always guaranteed. This is the conclusion of the analyzes carried out by the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), relayed by UFC-Que Choisir .
Of the 94 products analyzed by the DGCCRF, more than a third contained chemical residues in significant doses. However, they were marked "without pesticide residue" or "cultivated without synthetic pesticides". The DGCCRF and the consumers' association therefore urge caution with regard to these products, which are certainly less healthy than organic products.
#Labels "without #pesticides": out of 94 controlled products bearing this type of # claim, more than a third actually had pesticide residues at significant doses 👇 https://t.co/ujXUcU5iix pic.twitter.com/ JGtG1O7Rvo
- UFC-Que Choisir (@UFCquechoisir) August 24, 2020A label with vague rules
But the fraud repression body stresses all the same that the controls were carried out by targeting producers and foods "likely to present non-conformities". The results therefore cannot be generalized to the whole industry. A second, larger series of analyzes was carried out in 2019. The results will be known soon.
the UFC-Que Chooser invites nevertheless to be wary of products "without residue". Farmers can choose pesticides that leave little or no residue, or they can only use pesticides in the early stages of cultivation. This is the problem with these labels compared to organic, according to the consumers' association: the certifications do not commit an entire sector or field, but simply a specific moment of cultivation.
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