School food 'high in pesticides'

"School food 'high in pesticides'", BBC News, September 21, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266214.stm

Fruit and vegetables given to children in schools contain more
pesticides than shop-bought produce, a report suggests.

Chemical residues were found in 84% of fresh produce in schools
compared with 57% in stores, government figures published by the Soil
Association said.

The campaign group said it was "wrong" to provide lower quality food to
"the most vulnerable in society".

The government said chemical levels in shops and schools were "broadly
similar" but were being monitored.

'Lower quality'

The government's Pesticides Residue Committee tested 167 items in
schools and 882 items of fresh produce on sale in shops last year.

The Soil Association claimed the pesticide levels were higher because
the produce supplied by the government's School Fruit and Vegetable
Scheme (SFVS) was of a lower quality than those sold in shops.

The association's policy director, Peter Melchett urged the government
to increase the use of in-season UK-grown fruit and vegetables and to
use more organic produce.

The Department of Health (DoH) said none of the chemical residues gave
rise to concerns over children's health.

A DoH spokeswoman said: "Product for the SFVS is sourced from growers
whose produce is grown according to the principles of integrated crop
management, where pesticide inputs are minimised."

The statistical comparison is included in the Soil Association's
Pesticides in School Children's Fruit report.