Concerns Raised Over Contaminated Grapes

ECNETNews reports that the Thai Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) has issued a warning regarding contamination of Shine Muscat grapes. Recent findings reveal that a majority of the samples tested contained hazardous chemical residues exceeding permissible levels.

On Thursday, Thai-PAN, in collaboration with the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), disclosed the laboratory results of their tests.

Between October 2 and 3, the TCC collected 24 samples of the popular grapes from various sources, including two from online shops, seven from fruit shops and fresh markets, and 15 from supermarkets, with prices ranging from 100 to 699 baht per kilogram, according to Prokchon Usap, the coordinator of Thai-PAN.

“Out of the samples, only nine could be traced back to imports from China, while the origins of the other 15 remain unknown,” she reported.

“It was alarming to find that 23 out of 24 samples had pesticide residues surpassing legal limits.”

One sample was found to contain chlorpyrifos, an insecticide prohibited in Thailand.

Additionally, 22 samples were contaminated with 14 harmful residues exceeding the safety threshold of 0.01 mg/kg, along with an alarming 50 pesticide residues, 22 of which are not yet regulated under Thai law, including substances like triasulfuron and tetraconazole.

“These pesticides can persist in grapevine tissues, making their removal challenging,” stated Ms. Prokchon.

Thai-PAN and the TCC have called on the Ministry of Public Health to take swift action, including mandates for importers and distributors to clearly label the origin of imported Shine Muscat grapes.

So far in 2024, the FDA has inspected 264 tonnes of imported Shine Muscat grapes, valued at 72 million baht. Dr. Wattanasak Sornrung, director of the FDA’s Food and Drug Inspection Checkpoint Division, noted that only four samples had pesticide residues above safe limits, and legal actions have already been initiated against those importers.

He added that grapes imported by train from China have consistently met safety standards.

“The FDA is committed to enhancing the rigor of inspections on imported fresh fruits and vegetables,” he affirmed. “Going forward, testing results will be expedited to ensure findings are reported within 24 hours instead of the current three-day wait.”